


Coinciding Moments: Amidst a Song of Raindrops

by redlerred7



Series: Coinciding Moments [5]
Category: Lucky Star (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Anachronistic Music and Anime references, Angst, Drama, F/F, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other, POV Multiple, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24372856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlerred7/pseuds/redlerred7
Summary: In the aftermath of the festival, the girls find themselves in a gloomy mood, not helped by the grey clouds washing color from the world. Kagami wallows in self pity. Ayano tries to come to terms with the things she's said and done. Yutaka and Minami do their best to help their two classmates reconcile. And amidst them all, Konata comes to an epiphany about her relationship with Tsukasa.[Slice of Life, MultiPOV, Romance, Drama, Angst](This story was migrated to Ao3 from fanfiction.net with little to no edits)
Relationships: Hiiragi Kagami/Kusakabe Misao, Hiiragi Tsukasa/Izumi Konata, Iwasaki Minami/Kobayakawa Yutaka
Series: Coinciding Moments [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/243262
Kudos: 1





	1. Light Hearts Don't Stay That Way

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally written mid-2015 and has all the quirks that my writing had back then, both good and bad.

That Friday afternoon, the autumn winds were blowing strongly. A thin layer of clouds covered the sky, traveling steadily from one end of the horizon to the other, like a blanket of white scrolling up above. Rain was unlikely, which boded well for the students ending their classes that day.

Ryoo's school bell resounded, marking the end of classes that day. In classroom 3-C, the students began packing up – some of them to go to their club rooms, others to go back to their homes. Very few students stayed behind – the students designated to clean the classroom, for example. Kagami Hiiragi, Misao Kusakabe, and Ayano Minegishi also stayed behind.

Returning from a brief talk with Ms. Sakuraba, Kagami sat down and laid her head on the table. "Finally, this day ends." She said in a celebratory deadpan

Ayano looked at her and pursed her lips. "You look tired." She noted.

"I feel tired." Kagami ran her hand through her pony tail, staring silently at the smooth wood of her desk.

"Well, you've got a weekend to relax." Misao reassured her. She joined in stroking Kagami's hair sighing softly as she did so. "You should get more sleep"

"I try… I try really hard…" Kagami groaned. Eventually she did end up relaxing. It must have been Misao, gently petting her head. She closed her eyes. "For some reason, I really have trouble getting to sleep at night. And once I do start feeling sleepy, the sun's already rising…"

Ayano smiled and raised her hand over Kagami. "May I?" She asked, glancing between Kagami and Misao. Misao gave her a nod so she began running her own hand through Kagami's hair as well. "Perhaps you should drink a warm glass of milk before you go to bed?" She suggested.

Kagami purred. She seemed to be really enjoying it. "I've tried that already. I doesn't work. I fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night. After that, I can't get back to sleep…" She said as she raised her head, crossed her arms on the table, and then rested her chin on them. A smile slowly formed on her lips.

Ayano glanced up at Misao, noting how happy the brunette looked seeing Kagami smile. _Something about these two makes my heart ache unbearably…_ Ayano closed her eyes. _It's painful, but it feels so nice…_

Kagami's breathing was deep and steady, but her face was red and slowly she began trembling. "Nya…!" After a few more seconds of stroking her hair, Kagami jerked her head back, causing both Ayano and Misao to pull their hands away. Her face was flushed and her breathing was heavy. It was like she had just climaxed.

The two looked at Kagami and then at each other. They must have come to the same conclusion as they both were blushing awkwardly. They looked back to Kagami.

"Kagami, did you just…" Misao began.

"I… I don't want to talk about it…"

The brunette giggled. "I my god, you did!" She was struggling to keep her voice down. "Aya-chan, looks like you know how to please a girl. Congrats on the discovery"

Ayano blushed. "D-don't be ridiculous. That was all you"

"She only started mewing like a cat when _you_ started petting her. I think _you_ deserve more credit than _I_ do." Misao gave in and let out a hearty laugh. "And to think, _you're the straight girl_ "

"Can we please stop talking about this…?" Kagami grumbled, lowering her head back onto the table, hiding her face behind her arms.

**LUCKY STAR**

Classroom 3-B was as active as it always was afterschool. The various kids were packing their things as the homeroom teacher droned on about the upcoming midterms.

"Remember, you still got that midterm thing in next week. You better not slack off!" Kuroi shot a look at the back of the class. "Looking at you, Izumi. Don't think just cuz you've been doing well this past month that I'll let you off easy. You'd better study"

"Don't worry teach. As long as I hit the books before the test, I'll totally be able to pass it!"

"That's not studying, that's cramming!" The blonde threw a piece of chalk at the bluenette, landing dead center on her forehead. "Study for real, Izumi!" Kuroi let out a deep sigh. "Now, with that done, everyone's dismissed. Have a nice weekend with your friends."

"You gonna be spending your weekend with a friend as well?" Konata asked suggestively.

"Don't mess with me, Izumi. I've still got seven pieces of chalk and I'm pretty consistent with my aim"

As the class began packing up, Tsukasa, and Miyuki gathered around Konata's table. The bluenette sat and looked thoughfully at the books in her desk, possible contemplating on what books she should take home.

"So, Tsukasa, you think you're gonna do okay in the exams next week?" Konata asked.

Tsukasa thought for a bit, brows furrowed and lips pursed. It was clear she was not sure. "I hope I will…" She said.

Konata chuckled. "I hope so too." Turning to Miyuki, she grinned. "And of course, I'm sure the mistress of moe is bound to get a perfect grade."

Miyuki smiled. "Perhaps" she said innocently. "Perhaps not. You never know" She giggled.

"Oh, don't be that way Miyuki, we all know you're the smartest girl in class. Heck, you're the smartest girl in the school!" Konata shouted standing up and waving her arms animatedly. "If you ever say that you're actually a really old and experienced mad scientist in a teenager's body, I wouldn't even be surprised" She said with a grin

"Always such a wild imagination" Miyuki chuckled. "That reminds me of my mother. She's like a child with an adult's body." She commented.

Konata stared at her. "Like a child? That wasn't what she was like the _last time_ we saw her…" She noted. "I, for one, love children. The last time we saw her, I didn't like her at all. She was like that one side-character that gets so much screen time that the other characters don't get as much development."

The pinkette sweat dropped. "That is a strange analogy but I suppose it works well to describe your feelings of her…" She said. "It's more pertaining to the fact that she is very childish and immature. I do not hesitate to say this because she even says it herself."

"Really? How?"

"Well…" Miyuki thought for a bit. "Well, you know how she was acting very unpleasant towards you? It was because you two were dating"

Konata took offense "Is she homophobic or something!?"

Miyuki shook her head. "No. Rather, seeing love between girls somehow rekindled her own love for one particular woman. It brought with it painful memories that she'd rather not remember. Thankfully, she's starting to ease up on it since she's together with her now."

"Wait, she's dating that woman now? What about your dad?" Konata gasped. "Holy Haruhi, this is some serious NTR!"

"No, she's not cheating on my father. They have a bit of an agreement." Miyuki blushed. "What I'm about to tell you is a bit embarassing…"

Tsukasa, who had been silent for most of the conversation, spoke up. "Don't worry, Yuki-chan. We'll accept you either way" She said with a smile.

"Very well then. My father and Minami's father are… well… are a couple. Maybe a few years after Minami and I became friends, father and Mr. Iwasaki fell in love. They spoke to their wives and they came to an agreement that they could be together, provided that they still spend at least _some_ time with their wives. So, in essence, I had two fathers and Minami was my step sister."

"Oh, that is so wonderful." "Wonderful and _awesome_." The two's responses were positive. Miyuki felt more confident to continue.

"As for my mother. The one she's with right now is actually Honoka Iwasaki, Minami's mother." The two stared, speechless, which caused Miyuki to chuckle. "Yes. I had a similar reaction. Two weeks ago, she, father, and Mr and Mrs. Iwasaki had a talk together. Long story short, I now have two mothers _in addition_ to two fathers."

"And it would make Minami even more your sister" Tsukasa cheered

"Yes. It would."

Konata laughed. "Well, I have a story about my dad but I doubt it could top yours" She began explaining. "So, you know two Saturdays ago when Ms. Kuroi arrived and talked to me…?"

And so, Konata told her tale, which the other two enjoyed listening to.

**LUCKY STAR**

The class of 1-D had already packed up and left, leaving just three students in the classroom. Yutaka sat on the side of a table near the middle. Opposite her, a column away, was Minami sitting sideways on a chair. Between them was Hiyori, sitting at her desk, hunched over and scribbling angrily on her sketchpad.

Yutaka and Minami had only the barest of knowledge as to why Hiyori was so agitated. From what they understood, Hiyori and Patricia had broken up earlier that week – neither knew for what reason. And so, they looked at each other in confusion, unsure as to how they should react.

"Hiyori-san…" Minami said, in an attempt to get her attention. She felt the question was unneeded but she asked anyway. "If we may, we'd like to know what's wrong"

Hiyori stopped. "Patricia" A single word was uttered by the manga artist, without even looking up, before she returned to her drawing.

They knew that already and it really didn't answer the question. Minami asked another. "… May we have more specific of an answer?"

"No"

Minami nodded quietly. _Very well. We won't pry._ Of course, she wasn't able to say that aloud as Yutaka suddenly cut in.

Yutaka jumped off the table and took hold of Hiyori's face, bringing it mere inches to her own. And, looked staight into the raven haired girl's eyes, "Tell us what's wrong" She ordered.

Her voice was sharp and cold – completely unlike what Minami was used to. She was reminded of that time the redhead first showcased her acting skills to Minami. The mint haired girl shivered. It was disconcerting how different she could act when she wanted to. The fact that she chose to be nice was scary.

Hiyori was similarly taken aback. "I-I… I…"

"We wanna help. _Let us._ " Yutaka maintained unblinking eye contact as she let go of Hiyori and walked backwards, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "Tell us what's wrong."

Minami glanced at Hiyori. _Will she crack the same way I did?_ She wondered. _I don't think so. It almost feels like she was expecting_ _Yutaka to act like this._ _This is so out of character of her. How could Hiyori expect it?_ _._ With the raven haired girl's short gulp of air, she began to explain. Minami listened intently.

Hiyori sighed. "Our break up was a little… intense, okay? We both said some things that we regret… at least I _think_ it's both of us…"

Minami tilted her head curiously. _I've never seen Hiyori_ _angered, nor Patricia. I'd rather not see what it would be like when the fight._ She frowned. _And obviously they fought. Why else would they have broken up?_

"Really, it started last weekend, when we had the festival prep day."

 _Last Saturday…? Why do I not find that surprising…?_ Minami looked away. _I get the feeling that Yutaka and I are the only ones in our circle of friends that didn't have a bad day…_

"We sorta had a fight. It's stupid now that I think about it but she told my parents about us behind my back" Hiyori said, voice like that of one fighting down the urge to hurl. It must have been hard for her to talk about. "And then during the festival, she wouldn't stop talking about the opening ceremony. She wanted to do a performance with all of us and… well, she didn't really get what she wanted. I get why she was pissed but she spent the entire week being angry and she directed that anger at _me_. She was like a broken record, saying the same damn thing over and over."

Minami narrowed her eyes. _Same damn thing?_

"You think I'm kidding? After two days, I began counting. _Sixty two_." She took out her cellphone and started playing a recording of Patricia's complaints. "I had to listen to _this_ for sixty two times"

"Did you ever tell her to stop?" Yutaka asked

"Not, I didn't. And she got mad at me because of it! When I confronted her about it, she told me is should have just told her. I _know_ I should have just told her! That's why when I brought the topic up, I wasn't really all that mad yet. But she had the gall – the audacity – to get mad at _me_? Who does she think she is!?"

Yutaka and Minami glanced at each other. This was an overreaction and both of them knew it. Whether Hiyori knew it herself, they weren't sure. _Maybe she does know it?_ Minami thought. _Maybe she's just getting angry to justify the break up?_

"What is the problem, Hiyori?" Yutaka asked again.

"She doesn't respect me!"

Minami blinked. _I find that hard to believe…_ She thought back to when Konata had introduced Patricia to the two of them. She remembered feeling profoundly offended when the blonde called her by her first name despite knowing her for less than a minute. Only later did she realize that Patricia would stop and call her by whatever she wanted if she just said so. I feel like you trying very hard to get angry at Patricia for things that are just natural for her.

"You do understand that Patty is not a mind reader, yes?" Minami asked. Hiyori replied with a slow nod. "Then why do you expect her to stop when you never tell her?"

"Well…" The rave haired girl frowned. "What about you guys!? Neither of you talk and somehow you never have problems like the one _I'm_ having. You two are practically mind readers!"

Minami blinked. She glanced to Yutaka, who looked a bit hurt and more than a little confused. She turned back to Hiyori and gave her response. "We are… For lack of a better word, a _special_ case… When you take into account that not everyone is like me, nor like Yutaka, you'll find that most relationships rely on communication. I am not expert by any means, but, given that information, perhaps you should have told her?"

"Unbelievable!" Hiyori yelled, standing up "Unbelievable!" She picked up her bag and began walking out the classroom.

The two glanced at each other worriedly. Hiyori was overreacting, which was nothing new to them – most of her reactions had always been extreme, now that they thought about it. They stood and moved to follow her.

**LUCKY STAR**

As the group from 3-C exited the school building, they were immediately buffeted by the cold wind of autumn. Kagami shivered. When the wave of air hit her, she felt chilled to the bone.

Outside, the fallen leaves from the nearby trees were caught in a small whirlwind, spiraling their way across the courtyard. It was certainly a sight to behold, provided one had the intention of beholding it in the first place – Kagami felt like so few people stopped to see the beauty of the world already laid out before their eyes.

She chuckled at the thought. On a bad day, whatever she saw right now would be nothing more than a gray wasteland to her eyes. Perhaps she was lucky that she did not feel quite as bad as she did the previous week, otherwise she might as well have considered the breath taking sight as a mere inconvenience on her way home.

On the other side of the courtyard were three familiar faces, standing by the gate. The shortest one of the jumped up and waved in greeting. "Oi! Kagami, Misakichi, Minegishi!" Konata called.

The three approached the gate where the other three were waiting and greeted them.

"Ladies," Konata said as she gallantly offered her hand towards Tsukasa and gestured toward the gate "shall we go home?"

"What a gentleman." Tsukasa commented with a smile before gently taking the outstretched hand. "I'd be more than happy" She turned to the rest of the group. "Shall we?"

They all smiled. Tsukasa and Konata certainly made for a cute couple. And now that the lavender hair girl could keep up with the bluenette's impromptu acts, they seemed all the more perfect for each other.

Kagami smiled. _Those acting lessons must have helped a lot._ _It almost_ hurts, _how compatible they are._ She thought. _Tsukasa's grown a lot. She's more responsible, confident, and outgoing – and Konata's the reason for all of that. And to think it was only a few months since she was still clinging to me like a child to their mother. It's almost funny… Almost…_

She felt something hit her elbow. Glancing at Misao, Kagami found her offering her arm to her. "You up to joining them?"

Kagami chuckled. "Sure" She locked arms with the brunette, gently yet firmly holding her elbow. "Let's go" She said with a smile.

Looking around, she found that the others were smiling as well. All around her were smirks and knowing looks. "W-what are you all looking at?" Kagami stuttered, face slowly growing warmer. They simply giggled and replied with an ' _it's nothing_ ', which caused the pony tailed girl the frown. It was very frustrating for her whenever they teased her like that. She knew it was all in good fun, but still.

Miyuki coughed. "I'm sorry but I have a prior engagement. It seems my sister has been held up and I'd like to know what happened to her. If you'll excuse me." With that, she bid them farewell and walked back into the school

"Miyuki-san has a sister?" Kagami asked, thinking out loud.

" _Step sister_ " Konata corrected. "She also has two mothers and two fathers" She added a-matter-of-factly

Kagami and the others from 3-C stared at the bluenette in confusion. "What?"

"She's related to Minami"

"Oh…" _That was what she meant by step sister._ The three slowly pieced together what they heard. _Which means that_ _when she said_ _Miyuki has two mothers and fathers…_ They blinked in unison "…Oh"

 _Well… I guess that was what_ _Miyuki_ _was talking about when I called her last Sunday…_ Kagami thought. _I wondering what she meant by "family complications"_ _when I asked her about_ _how she was doing_ _. Now I_ _get_ _what she meant – two moms and two dads. I can see how that can be complicated. Imagine trying to get the attention of one of them. She'd either get both or neither – unless she calls Mrs. Iwasaki… well… Mrs. Iwasaki… Or Honoka… But wouldn't that be disrespectful…?_

Her train of musings was derailed when the arm she was clinging onto was suddenly pulled back towards the school. The sudden motion jerked her out of her daze, prompting her to look behind her.

"Kusakabe, you've skipped afternoon practice for every day of this week, not to mention you skipped practice last saturday too."

It was the track team captain. From the looks of things, she wasn't happy with Misao at all. Likewise, Misao wasn't happy either. Her other arm was caught in a grip that looked so tight that the pain could be felt by everyone looking.

"C'mon, I've been attending _morning_ practice. Why not let me off?"

"Yes you were, and you're lucky that I'm normally too sleepy during morning practice to remember that you've been skipping the afternoons"

"You let the _others_ choose either morning or afternoon. Why not let _me_?" Misao complained.

"I _did_. At the start of the semester I let _everyone_ choose. _You_ chose _both_."

Misao winced and turned to the rest of the group who were looking at the scene with confusion. They were unsure how to react so they all turned to Kagami. "W-well, you chose this path, didn't you? Live with it…" She stuttered

"That's right! Now come on and tell your girlfriend to let go of your arm. You've got practice and I am not going to let you off this time."

Kagami and the others all sweat dropped as Misao was dragged away with a look of resignation on her face. "I swear, that girl is just hopeless sometimes…" Kagami muttered.

After a few awkward seconds of silence, the four of them collectively sighed and began walking in the direction of the train station. An ally had stayed behind of her own volition and another had been forced to. At the time, they didn't really find it all that funny but they knew that they'd eventually look back on that moment and have a laugh about it. They just weren't sure when that time would come…

**LUCKY STAR**

"Stop following me!"

Those were Hiyori's last words before she entered the animation research club room, slamming the door closed at Minami and Yutaka.

"I hope she starts feeling better soon…" Yutaka sighed.

Minami nodded in agreement. "It seems that she doesn't want to let us help." She noted. "Perhaps this is something that she'd rather fix on her own?"

"You really think so?" Yutaka asked, head tilted in curiousity.

The mint haired girl thought for a bit. "No. Not really. Hiyori's problem with Patricia is also a problem with herself. I feel like she knows this but refuses to admit it. She won't be able to help herself if it she doesn't do that" Minami began walking away. "But who knows, perhaps she'll need help."

The red head smiled. "And if she does, we'll be there." She began walking as well.

"Good afternoon, Minami, Yutaka"

By the shoe lockers, stood Miyuki, patiently waiting for the two to arrive. When she caught sight of them, she smiled and waved.

"Good afternoon, Nee-san" Minami greeted as she switched out her school shoes for her own.

Her yes narrowed when she saw a letter in the shoe locker. The envelope was plain and no name was written on it – not the sender's nor the recipient. _Yutaka and I switched lockers because hers was too high for her to reach. Is this letter for her or for me?_ With a shrug, she opened and read it.

 _Die_ _a horrible death_ _, homosexual scum._ In bold red, those words were printed onto the paper.

Minami read it over and over. A fire began burning in her heart – a fire hot enough to bring her bloodstream to boiling in a heartbeat and cold enough to to numb her entire body with little effort. She was angry – _extremely_ angry.

She frowned. _Is this letter for her or for me?_ She asked again, keeping her thoughts as cool as she could. She was quite good at reigning in her emotions so she calmed down a few seconds later.

"Minami, what's wrong?" Minami turned to see Miyuki and Yutaka looking at her with worried eyes. They could see straight through her stoic mask, so she wasn't surprised that they immediately noticed something was wrong.

Minami showed them the letter. "Who sent you this…" Miyuki asked, stoic yet obviously outraged. Minami brought out the plain envelope with nothing written on it. Her face grew tighter. "Discriminatory threats under the guise of anonymity. Such cowardice…"

The pinkette's tranquil fury was new to Minami. Very few times had she ever seen Miyuki as angry as she was, and even then, it was never the kind of anger where in she would actually speak ill of anything or anyone.

"Nee-san, I suggest we forget about this. It's best we not let it affect us."

Miyuki sighed. "I suppose you're right. There is nothing we can do right now." She began walking towards the exit. "But I do not believe you're completely correct in that statement. I refuse to forget about this." She said with a pout before exiting the building and waiting outside. "If and when we find out who this came from, they will suffer the consequences of threatening my family"

 _Family…_ The stoic tilted her head curiously. _Hearing that pleases me somehow…_

Minami blinked slowly, taking a deep breath. The letter would not doubt cause a lot of unneeded anxiety so she pondered on how to dispose it. It would be a simple matter of just ripping it up and letting the pieces scatter in the wind along with the masses of fallen leaves so she did not ponder long. She put the letter back in the envelope and began walking out the door.

"Let's go"

Yutaka followed Minami out the building.

**LUCKY STAR**

The sun was perhaps two hours away from disappearing under the horizon when the two Hiiragis reached home. The days were getting shorter, they noticed. Autumn started maybe a month and a half ago and they only just started noticing the changes. And said changes were going very quickly – it was as if summer had extended its stay and, now that fall had arrived, nature was making up for lost time. They didn't mind, though. Aside from the vast amounts of fallen leaves and the slightly colder weather, there wasn't much to be bothered about.

Kagami opened the door and began taking off her shoes. Tsukasa followed suit, crying out her greeting as she did so. "We're home!"

The two did a lap around the ground floor, looking if anyone was home, before they reached the kitchen. Miki and Matsuri was quietly sitting at the table while the rice was cooking on the stove. They greeted them cheerfully. "Welcome home" "S'up"

The two smiled before laying their bags on the table and taking a seat. "So, what are you talking about. Anything you're willing to tell us?" Kagami asked boredly.

Miki giggled. "Matsuri got another passing grade on a test. She was a good deal higher than the class average" She said, practically radiating enough pride to cripple Matsuri with embarrassment.

"M-mom… It isn't a big deal… I just studied is all…"

The two were mildly surprised. Matsuri was known to be the least responsible of the four Hiiragi daughters. The fact that she studied for a test was good news on its own – that she passed with an above average grade was even more cause for celebration.

"What's more, it seems she's gotten a boyfriend." Miki added

The table exploded with chatter – A shocked and curious stream of questions from the twins and embarrassed choking and denial by Matsuri. Miki simply watched the entertaining scene play out as it happened. "This definitely beats the game shows we watch. I don't see why Tadao dislikes hearing their bickering." She said under her breath, giggling.

"It's a guy I met maybe two weeks ago at the mall…" Matsuri said with a blush. "We hanged out a couple times after. He was pretty nice – Nice smile, nice face, nice personality. He asked me out a few days ago…" She paused, noting how the twins were leaning forward on the edge of their seats. She sweat dropped "Uh… Anyway, I said yes. Earlier, today he brought me to a quiet cafe not far from the station. We didn't really do anything different from when we were hanging out but…"

"It somehow felt different?" The twins said simultaneously, Tsukasa smiling and Kagami smirking.

Matsuri frowned "Mom said the same thing. Is it really supposed to feel that way?"

The twins shrugged. They were only a few months more experienced in romance than Matsuri was – meaning they were not very experienced at all. Miki however,

"Not necessarily. There is no exact way you're supposed to feel when you start dating." The mother said. "The feeling of nothing changing yet seeming different, however, seems to run in the family…" She added, looking away, somewhat embarrassed.

When prompted, Miki explained. "Well, Tadao and I were like that. Out first date was to a restaurant that we already frequented before we started dating. Nothing changed and yet something felt different." She chuckled "And from what I understand, all three of you are experiencing the same thing. I put two and two together and came up with the theory of that being the case. There's certainly convincing evidence, isn't there?"

"Huh…" The three pondered on this for a couple minutes. It wasn't hard to believe that it ran in the family. They just needed Inori to face a similar situation for them to be completely convinced.

Miki stood and began tending to the stove. "You two better go upstairs and get changed. We can continue out talk after, if you wish."

The twins smiled and nodded. They picked up their bags and went upstairs.

**LUCKY STAR**

The two trains arrived and Minami and Yutaka were forced to part.

"I kinda hate how our routes home are in opposite directions…" Yutaka sighed and said her goodbyes. "I'll see you next week."

Minami nodded and strode off to the other end of the platform, entering the train along side Miyuki. With a wave goodbye, Yutaka smiled and turned to face her own train. Stepping inside, she looked around to find a seat.

 _Was that letter for me, or for Minami…?_ After the red head found her seat, she pondered that thought. _Who would be so angry at us that they'd send us threats? I don't see why they'd do such a thing…_ She recalled hat Miyuki said earlier. _Discrimination,_ _she said_ _…_ _D_ _iscrimination…_ _based on who people love…? Why would they act like that? Is it because it's different? I don't understand…_

Yutaka frowned and shook her head. _I shouldn't be thinking this. Like Minami said, it is better that I not let this affect me._

She turned around and took a look at the window behind her. The sun bathed the sky in a deep orange gradient, turning the thin white lining of clouds into a yellow blanket of cotton. The skyline slowly scrolled past in the distance, with the closer buildings flicking by. The view had a calm beauty to it and Yutaka found herself lost in its grandeur. She only realized she had reached her stop when the train slowed and the speakers blared the name of the station she was stopping at.

Blinking rapidly as she regained her wits, Yutaka stood and walked out of the train, lest she accidentally miss her stop.

This was one of the few times she was walking home alone. Most other times, Minami or Konata was with her. She wasn't all that worried, though. She was familiar with the route, and considering she'd been taking said route for over half a year, it wasn't surprising. She made her way home in silence

**LUCKY STAR**

It was already twilight when track practice finally ended. The cool autumn air was made ever colder once the sun was down, not that Misao minded. She was sweaty all over, and even after toweling off and resupplying her body with water, she still felt hot so the cold weather was just another way for her to cool off.

"Jeez. She didn't have to work me like a dog. We won the last track meet, didn't we? She could have at least cut me a little slack" She sighed and began walking to the gate. "Whatever. I'm just glad it's finally over."

 _It's weird. Normally I really like track practice. What changed? Was it Kagami? Maybe. Masaru was right. She's really affecting me…_ She frowned. _I'm okay with that though. All it took was a few weeks of studying with her and suddenly it's easier to concentrate while studying on my own. I'm finally doing alright in my classes._ She stopped in the middle of the courtyard and looked up at the grey sky up above. _Track is a big part of my life but I'd be lying if I wasn't struggling in school because of it. Maybe it's time to transfer to the going home club?_ She chuckled. _I don't know if Kagami'd approve of that, though_

She turned to face the school. The quiet emptiness it had during the night was both eery and calm She'd have taken a picture if she had a camera. But she didn't have a camera. Also, there was one little thing that made the image of the empty school not a beautiful as it could have been. One room had its lights on.

"Now who'd be irresponsible enough to leave the light on?" Misao asked to no one in particular.

Then the lights went out.

"Whoa, someone's still in there! At this hour?" She moved to go back inside the school building.

**LUCKY STAR**

At the Takara estate, Minami and Miyuki sat by the windowsill, watching the sun disappear under the horizon.

Miyuki glanced at the mint haired girl. The girl's blue eyes were an ocean, and whatever lurked in its depths were difficult to see. Yet see Miyuki did. She knew what Minami was thinking – maybe not in exact detail, but she knew. She knew, and as she stared at the abyss, the endless ocean that was Minami's eyes, the abyss stared back.

"What is it?" Minami asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Thinking of Yutaka?"

Minami nodded.

Miyuki closed her eyes and nodded as well. Just as she had expected. There were very few times the redhead was _not_ on Minami's mind. For most other topics, she never thought on it any longer than necessary. On the topic of Yutaka, however, it seems that there was never any end to the possible reasons she would think of her. Now that Miyuki thought about it, Yutaka Kobayakawa was an enigma of sorts.

She was a good natured girl and fairly innocent, which showed in her actions and speech patterns. Yet there was hidden metal in her. Miyuki did not interact with her often, and even then, it was in the presence of Minami, but still, she felt the steel of her will. Even her very subconscious rebels against her, as when Yukari had asked her for forgiveness, she still made the effort to stay true to herself. She was determined to forgive the woman even if it meant forcing herself.

That was but a glimpse of an unseen side to Yutaka's character. She knew of her back story – that she was a sickly girl who was always bedridden or hospitalized. Looking at her now, Miyuki could only imagine what she went through. She was still frail, yet there was strength in her that didn't seem to run out.

_Hmm… It seems I am no different with Minami. Yutaka is an interesting person and Minami's attention to her is not unfounded._

"I hope she got home alright…" Minami sighed.

"Don't worry, Minami. I'm sure she's fine. Both you and I know that she's stronger than she seems."

"Knowing that does not ease my anxiety… But I see your point. It's best not to worry."

**LUCKY STAR**

Hiyori turned off the lights to the animation research club room and locked the door. She ended up staying a good half hour longer than everyone else so she could finish that last few bit of key frames for the scene she was working on. Not that it mattered if she finished them. The entire club knew they wouldn't finish the animation until after winter break anyway so she had to wonder why she was still trying so hard to make for a deadline no one else was following.

As she trodded off, she could faintly hear the sound of footsteps. Light, yet powerful – as if the person had the most efficient pair of legs in the world. She was reminded of a video game character she remembered from her childhood – blue and very quick on his feet.

"Oh, so it's _you_ who was still in here"

Hiyori stared at the girl before her. A brunette in a blue track suit, who had a pronounced fang on the left side of her mouth. She had seen her before, standing next to Kagami, sometimes holding hands with her. She looked like one of those tomboy characters. _Is that Hiiragi-senpai's girlfriend?_ She wondered.

"You're here pretty late." She commented. Hiyori nodded. "Well, at least it wasn't a ghost or something." The brunette turned and began walking away. "Anyway, I'm headed home. Wanna walk to the station with me?"

Hiyori tilted her head curiously. Was she willing to walk with a stranger? Well, technically she wasn't a stranger, she was more of an acquaintance whom she didn't really interact with. But still, she didn't even know her name.

_Think about this. This is Hiiragi-senpai's girlfriend. What would she think if she found out that we went home together? Well, it isn't really home, more like to the train station…_

"S-sure." She answered hesitantly

"Alright, then." She smiled and began walking back outside the room.

 _She seems relaxed._ Hiyori noted. _Like, REALLY relaxed. Either I've got an airhead that doesn't understand the situation or she's some sort of psychopath or something._ She narrowed her eyes. _Has that premise ever been used in a manga… probably but I don't know about it… speaking of which, I really should go back and buy some more…_

"Say, what's your name. Mine's Misao Kusakabe" She said as the two passed the gates

"T-tamura… Hiyori Tamura…"

"Tamura… I think I've heard the chibi mention that name before. You a friend of hers?"

Hiyori's attention was caught. _Chibi_? "Do you mean Izumi-senpai or Kobayakawa-san?"

"Oh, you know them both" Misao's laugh was hearty, but it felt kinda… hollow. There was something eating at the brunette.

_Hmm, whatever could it be? Money problems? School problems? Problems with Hiiragi-senpai, perhaps? Oh the possibilities… Now look at me. I'm looking at her like some quick inspiration grab for whatever story is cooking up in my head. What the hell is wrong with me…?_

"Is something wrong?" Hiyori blurted out.

"Eh, you could say that. Not really sure I should be telling you but I've recently been feeling really useless."

Hiyori blinked. Never in her life did she expect to get a serious answer – and from someone she barely knew at that. _What would posses_ _her_ _to tell_ _ME_ _? It ma_ _k_ _e_ _s_ _no sense!_

"What about you?" Misao asked. "You seem to have that frown plastered to your face."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hiyori said in mock innocence. "My face is perfectly fine"

Misao chuckled. "Yeah it is. I'm just saying that your frown makes you look like you're going through a lot" She stated. "Whatever. I don't really need to know. Privacy and stuff like that…"

Hiyori looked down. Is it really alright for me to tell her? I mean, we don't even see each other in school. I can't really call her my friend… She looked back up at Misao, walking with her bag slung over her shoulder and her hands in her pockets. But now that I think of it, I'm not willing to tell my friends anything. Besides, they'd just side with Patty. Maybe an outsider's look at things is best.

"Okay…" Hiyori said. "I'll tell you…"

**LUCKY STAR**

Konata finished making dinner at roughly the same time as she heard the doorbell ring. Setting the dish on the table and putting a lid over it, she hopped off to the front door to see who it was. She expected it to be either Yutaka or her dad and her expectations were met.

"Evening, Onee-chan" Yutaka greeting cheerfully. She sniffed the air. "Oh, dinner smells wonderful"

"C'mon and get in. The sooner you get changed, the sooner we can have dinner." Konata said with a smirk and a wink. "Unless you'd rather have… _me_ "

Yutaka sweat dropped. "I'd actually prefer dinner. I'm a bit hungry"

Konata recoiled dramatically. "Alas, even my own kin are ignorant of the appeal of a flat chest and short stature." She said, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead and bending backwards.

"Perhaps I'd be more inclined to take your offer if you had green hair and grew a head taller" Yutaka scoffed.

"So cruel!" Konata cried in mock anguish before she returned to her usual cat smile. "Alright. Go up and change. Dinner's getting cold back there"

"Okay, Onee-chan"

**LUCKY STAR**

The senpai and kohai sat on the swings of an empty playground. The chains creaked as they swayed back and forth, bringing back memories of swinging on it when they were children. Not that the memory was about that swing set in particular. There was just something about the playground that evoked a sense of nostalgia to both girls.

"You wanna know what my opinion is?" Misao asked.

Hiyori nodded vigorously.

"I think you're over reacting." Misao said bluntly. "And really, you should've told her she was bugging you. Your entire week would've probably been a lot better if you did that."

"You're taking her side too!?"

She backed up and raised her open hands in defense. "Hey, just telling it how I see it. Do you really think I'm taking side in this?"

Hiyori shrunk at her words. "S-sorry…"

"Ah, don't worry about it." Misao laughed and patted her shoulder. "But seriously. You should talk with her about stuff like that. If it upsets you, you should just freakin' say it." She grinned. "And I get that feelin' that I ain't the first one to tell you this."

Hiyori sighed. "What gave it away?"

"Probably that 'too' when you said 'you're taking her side too'."

"Darn it"

"So, what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna try and say sorry to her?" Misao asked. "Or will you wait for her to make the first move? Because, from the way you describe this whole spiel, both of you seem as guilty as the other."

She sighed once more. "I don't know…"

"Well, think on it. I'm gonna go home. I've got a nice hot dinner waiting for me and I don't want to make it wait long."

With that, Misao stood and walked away, leaving Hiyori to sit on the swing in silence. The talk left her with a lot to think about. She was sure the weekend would give her plenty of time…


	2. More of the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am disappointed in the me of 2015 who wrote this. You seriously decided to call this chapter the equivalent of "filler?" Did you _want_ people to skip this chapter?

Monday was dreary and depressing. Even after weekend had past, the sky remained overcast, effectively turning a world of rich autumnal orange and browns into that of a desaturated gray. Not only that, but from the looks of things, it was likely that it was going to rain – if not later that day then later that week. Suffice it to say, the weather was gloomy. Therefore, absolutely _perfect_ for the start of midterms week.

At the back of classroom 3-B were four girls, chatting among themselves. Unfortunately, their conversation was not as lively as they'd like. The rest of the class was similarly subdued, leaving the room in an uncomfortable situation of being neither chaotically loud nor calmly quiet. It was certainly unnerving.

"I wasn't able to bring my books back last weekend…" Konata lamented with a teary eyed expression. "I wasn't able to study any of the tests we took today…"

"There there" Tsukasa cooed in an attempt to cheer the bluenette up. She took her chop sticks and brought a piece of hotdog cut to look like an octopus to Konata's mouth. "Here, eat. Let the food take your troubles away."

Konata tenderly let the food enter her mouth before closing it shut. Her eyes remained teary even as she aggressively chewed her food. "I feel like such a failure…" She whispered dramatically, even as she chewed the food still in her mouth.

Kagami could only roll her eyes at her statement. Everyone knew Konata was faking it. Even with Tsukasa playing along, it didn't feel any more believable than it normally would. Though the tsundere had to admit it was entertaining.

"So, how _did_ the tests go, anyway?" She asked with a deadpan smirk. "We got History and Biology tests earlier. I'm pretty sure I aced those. What about you guys?"

Misao scratched her head, smiling in embarrassment. "I forgot what we studied halfway through the test and guessed most of the answers"

Konata reached over the table and grabbed Misao's free hand. "You feel my pain."

"Yeah yeah" Misao grunted, shutting Konata up by flinging a bite-sized mass of rice at the bluenette's face which she quickly caught in the air with her mouth. "Good girl." Misao smiled and petted Konata's head.

"Can we please stop humoring Konata now? I'm starting to get annoyed."

The other three straightened up and began eating normally. "Kagami never lets me have any fun." Konata muttered. She leaned affectionately on Tsukasa "At least Tsukasa isn't so strict."

The younger twin smiled at stroked the head pressed against her shoulder. She was very thankful that Konata was comfortable with being affectionate with her in public. Now that Tsukasa thought about it, she had _always_ been affectionate – to her, to Kagami, really to anyone she considered a friend. _Maybe I'm thankful that I'M comfortable with her being affectionate with me? I've always been pretty shy so I'd normally be_ _so_ _embarrassed_ _that she'd never do something like this for long._ She felt a twinge of pride well up inside of her. _I guess I'm not as shy as I used to be._

"Uhhhg. You two are so cute it's sickening" Kagami said as she swallowed the last of her meal. "I'm glad I just finished because I think I've lost my appetite."

Tsukasa looked between her and Misao, who had also finished her lunch. "You two are done already?" She asked curiously.

Kagami smirked "Yeah. You two've been at it for so long that you've barely touched your food."

Tsukasa blinked in confusion. Konata came to the rescue with a comment. "Yes, but it's only been eight minutes since we started eating" She said with a smirk of her own. "Our antics aside, you two finished your meal in less than ten minutes"

Kagami stared. "What…?"

"Looks like the hungry wolf has influenced the bunny in the art of devouring her food…" Upon seeing the older Hiiragi react to her statement, Konata released the laugh that she'd been holding in. "Oh, Haruhi help me. If you could see the face you're making!"

"Hey!" The two shouted, simultaneously, both looking somewhat flushed. "So we both eat quickly now. So what…?" Kagami muttered, looking away.

Tsukasa had to admit, the entire situation was amusing. Her sister had always been quick at eating any food that was presented to her, Misao even more so. It made sense that the two would end up influencing each other in that regard. But the thought still brought a smile to her face regardless.

"It's nice to see that you're starting to act like each other." Tsukasa said cheerfully. "I think it's cute"

Her statement brought the said couple to silence. They blushed in embarrassment – and possibly pride, from what Tsukasa could sense. When the two glanced at each other and small smiles formed on their lips, she knew that what she sensed was correct. It warmed her heart to see how close the two had gotten.

The brief quiet that followed was calm and not awkward at all.

"Hey…" The surprisingly low and curious voice of Konata suddenly broke the silence. Startled, Kagami, Misao, and Tsukasa all gave her their attention. "Hey, you know where Miyuki is?" Konata asked with a tilt of her head

The other three blinked. _Where IS Miyuki?_ Tsukasa wondered. Looking around, she saw that the others had the very same thing on their mind, or at least it seemed like they did. _I'm sure she has other friends_ _besides us_ _._ _It_ _must be_ _that she's just_ _hanging out with_ them _._ _Right…?_

**LUCKY STAR**

Miyuki sat at the cafeteria table, unsure as to why she was there.

She had forgotten her own lunch at home despite Minami reminding her about it that morning – twice – thus she went to the cafeteria that lunch time to buy food. She ended up with a bowl of ramen that was a different flavor than she intended because she had lined up for the wrong stall. As she left with a bowl of pork ramen – she wanted miso ramen – her attention was grabbed by a familiar voice calling out to her. Turning towards the voice, she saw Minoru Shiraishi waving at her at a table with a free seat. Next to him was Ayano Minegishi. She made her way there and laid down her food.

Thus, she sat with two friendly acquaintances. _O_ _r perhaps casual friends would be a better_ _term to use?_ She thought. _Still, I never expected to be eating lunch with these Shiraishi-san and Minegishi-san. I'm certainly surprised._

"So, how'd you do in the test, Takara?" Minoru asked.

And so began the small talk that she was all too familiar with. Her own circle of friends always seemed to start their conversations with mundane topics yet they always end up going off on random tangents. Sure enough, that was exactly what happened.

"Well, I suppose I did well." Miyuki said as she took a sip of her ramen. "Many of the questions seem a lot less complicated now that a look back on them as opposed to when I was still answering."

"True true." Minoru agreed, nodding. "What about you, Minegishi?"

"I did alright. I'm sure I'll pass. I'm just not sure if I'll get a high grade"

"You guys seem so sure of yourselves, and here I am scared out of my life." Minoru said with a sigh. "I'm getting by just fine, I know, but still"

"Such is the problem of juggling a school along with two jobs" Miyuki said with a giggle. "Really, you've got your work cut out for you"

Ayano tilted her head curiously. "You have jobs?"

"Er… yeah…"

Miyuki smiled. _And thus it begins…_

**LUCKY STAR**

Class 1-D was fairly empty that lunch. Most of the students were either outside, enjoying the welcome sunlight that suddenly peeked through the layer of clouds, or at the cafeteria. That said, three particular students stayed in the room – namely, Yutaka, Minami, and Hiyori. They sat near the middle of the classroom, having lunch together.

"I take it that Patricia won't be joining us?" Minami asked. Hiyori simply nodded and continued eating. Minami closed her eyes slowly. _I'll take that as a yes…_

The raven haired girl was somewhat irritable – even more so than she was last week. It amazed Minami how grumpy Hiyori had become over the course of the weekend. She couldn't, for the life of her, think of any reason for the change. And she wasn't about to guess as to what had caused it – she didn't want to. So Minami simply stared, keeping her confusion hidden under her neutral mask.

She took a glance at Yutaka, who was, likewise, staring at Hiyori. The red head also keep a stoic face. And yet, Minami could faintly detect the worry hidden underneath the mask. Her brows were subtly shaking, slowly furrowing like they did when she was worried, before suddenly reverting back to their neutral positions. Right as she began to show any inkling of expression she pushed them down and returned to her passive stare.

Minami blinked. _This is… new…_ She thought. _Yutaka seems to by keeping her emotions down. I do not understand why she'd do this…_ She moved her gaze down to her food and continued eating. _I will asked her later…_

"Minami…" Yutaka whispered, barely audible to even Minami who was right next to her.

Minami chewed slowly, keeping her head facing down towards her food even as she looked at Yutaka. She raised an eyebrow in question. Yutaka met her gaze before glancing at Hiyori. She then looked down and began prodding her food with her chop sticks. Minami tilted her head curiously before moving focus on Hiyori. Despite how aggressively she had been eating earlier, the manga artist sat there with half a lunch box of food left. She stared at her food angrily, almost furiously, not even touching it.

Minami tilted her head in the other direction and narrowed her eyes slightly. _Curiouser and curiouser…_

"I've lost my appetite." Hiyori said, standing up. "I'm going to the nurse's office for a while."

The mint haired girl blinked. She watched Hiyori pack up her lunch and leave the room without a word. In the tense silence between the door opening and closing, Minami kept her head facing her food, listening closely to the bespectabled girl's footsteps. Once she heard the door close, Minami stood, walked up to it, and opened it again. Weirdly enough, she was not surprised to see who was right outside.

Leaning on the wall across from the door was Patricia, looking somewhat annoyed.

"I take it that you've only just arrived?"

"Yeah. Right as I was going to open the door, Hiyori suddenly opens it and pushes past me. What's with her?"

 _Hiyori must have felt Patricia's presence. I assume Yutaka picked up on it as well_. Minami narrowed her eyes. _Maybe_ _Yutaka_ _wanted me to stop her_ _from leaving_ _? I don't know. Much of what she told me was lost in translation._

She nodded at Patricia and made her way back to her lunch. Patricia followed suit.

As Minami took her seat, Yutaka shot her a look of both disappointment and apology. _Perhaps I was correct when I assumed Yutaka wanted me to stop her?_ _If so, at least it seems like she's realized that some of her intended messages weren't well sent nor well received_.

Minami slowly closed her eyes and bowed her head at her girlfriend. _It's fine, Yutaka_.

Yutaka looked away and frowned to herself. _It seems she doesn't quite believe me._ Minami noted. _No matter. We can discuss it later._ The stoic then faced Patricia who had seated herself in the seat Hiyori had previously occupied. She narrowed her eyes. _Right now, there's something else we have to talk about…_

"Patricia, pardon my prying but I believe you and Hiyori broke up recently?"

"Yeah. Kinda sucks, right?"

Minami twitched somewhat. _Casual._ _The break up_ _isn't a big deal for her…_ She brought up her chopsticks once more and bit on a slice of omelet. _Or is it…?_ Minami glanced at Yutaka, brushing her hand on the red head's thigh under the table. _What do you think?_

Yutaka's lips slowly bent downward into a small frown. Similarly, her eyebrows scrunched together by mere centimeters.

 _She's not sure either_. Minami interpreted. She looked back down on her food. _She's suddenly so much harder to read today. I wonder what happened…?_

"Yo, if your little telepathic conversation is over, could you tell me what's up with Hiyori?"

The two blinked. Telepathic? Sure the two were speaking without words but it was hardly as smooth as actual mind-to-mind communication. It was more like making a literal translation of whatever one wanted to say, relaying it to the other, and then translating it back. There was a large chance that the meaning of what was said would be lost in the translation process. The only reason they chose to interact that way is because Minami wasn't used to speaking aloud and Yutaka could actually detect the subtle signals the mint-haired girl would send.

 _But it might as well be telepathy to someone who can't notice the signs._ Minami admitted to herself. _It doesn't seem like Patricia can sense these types of things anyway._

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you anything about Hiyori. I understand the situation as much as you do, perhaps even less"

Patricia shrugged. "Oh well"

"Would you mind telling us what happened?" Yutaka asked, tilting her head curiously. "With the break up I mean?"

Minami shot Yutaka a questioning look to which she responded with a wince. _I'm sorry Minami_ , the look said. The taller girl made no comment. She was going to ask Patricia the very same thing herself. So she nodded at the shorter girl. _It's fine. Don't worry._

The blonde frowned at the question. "Didn't Hiyori tell you already?" She asked with a scowl.

"We'd like to hear it from your point of view." Minami answered curtly.

She eyed the blonde waiting for her reaction. Glancing at Yutaka, she seemed to be doing the same thing.

Patricia thought for a bit before complying "Well, okay. It happened like this…"

Minami and Yutaka listened closely, slowly cringing as the American described the story from her point of view. The two of them were starting to feel like perhaps Hiyori was justified in her reactions, considering how Patricia seems to view their problems.

Patricia frowned as she finished her story. "Huh…" She stood. "I was going to talk with you guys for a while after this but it doesn't seem like you want me here anymore"

Minami raised an eyebrow in question.

"Just the feeling I get." She answered. She began moving out the door. "See you…"

Minami watched impassively as the blonde left them to their own devices. With narrowed eyes, she began questioning the very reason Patricia had gone to their class in the first place.

"Something tells me that talking to us isn't the only reason for her to come here…"

As the mint haired girl mused aloud, Yutaka nodded in agreement. "She keeping things from us. I can't sense if it's a good secret or a bad one…"

Minami glanced at the shorter girl and tilted her head curiously. "There is such a thing as a good secret?"

Yutaka sighed. "There are somethings people are better off not knowing…"

The wistful way she had said those words had struck Minami as unusual. Even as the bell signaling the end of lunch period rang, her voice continued echoing in the back of Minami's mind. It was a good long while before it eventually stopped, and in that time, a number of questions were raised.

_Secrets better kept secret… What could have happened for her to say that…?_

**LUCKY STAR**

As the final bell rang, signaling the end of classes, the students of 3-B began packing up. There were three tests that day and it seems like most of the those who took it looked dangerously drained of life. Tsukasa was one of those people. As she slid her book back into her bag, she couldn't help but remember how difficult she found the tests earlier.

Right in front of her was a multiple questions she knew the answer to, except that it seemed like all of the choices were correct. She had always been bad at figuring out which choice was the best choice, thus, she had a lot of trouble with that particular part of the test – and those were what she found to be the easiest. The more difficult questions that completely stumped her were the identification ones. She absolutely hated how the word she wanted was just within her reach but, whenever she made a grab, it would always inch away just enough that she'd never get to it. Most of the tests were like that so Tsukasa wasn't very hopeful about her score.

The lavender haired girl let out a sigh, both of disappointment and of relief. _I may have flunked those test but at least they're finally over with_. She giggled. _I sound like Kagami._ _Maybe not with the flunking thing but…_

Tsukasa shook her head to free her of the random thoughts that tended to plague her mind. What was she doing again? Right, she was packing up to go home.

Konata walked up to her, bag in hand. "Yo, we'll be going home with Yutaka. You go grab your sister and head to the gate. I'll get Yu-chan and meet you there"

Tsukasa nodded. She stood and began walking to the back door, absentmindedly leaving her bag on her seat. Right as she realized this, she heard Konata whistle to get her attention. She froze mid stride and winced. "Sorry…" Tsukasa turned back, lips turned upward in an awkward smile of apology.

Her phone suddenly vibrated and Tsukasa jumped. Fumbling to get the device out of her pocket, she went to look at who had sent her the message.

[From: Onee-chan  
Subject: n/a

Gonna be watching Misao's practice with Ayano. Don't wait up for me]

"Actually, it looks like sis will be busy" Tsukasa said. She shrugged. "I guess I'll be going with you to get Yu-chan"

Konata smiled and offered her left hand, slinging her back over her shoulder with her other hand. Gingerly, Tsukasa took the hand with her right, shouldering her own bag. Together they walked out the classroom.

As the two walked the halls, the taller girl could feel the stares by passersby. While she definitely sensed a fair amount of discomfort from a number of people, she noted that the majority of those whom they passed seemed to find them amusing or cute or some similar adjective. Her face flushed at the thought of so many people finding them cute. The feeling perhaps even rivaled what she had felt when Konata had announced to the entire class that they were dating.

Tsukasa blinked. She had blanked out and, once again, Konata had safely guided her through the school, en-route to their destination, Classroom 1-D. She seemed to have stayed in a daze even as she climbed down the stairs to the first year classrooms as they had already arrived where they had intended to go.

"Welcome back. How was your little trip through day-dream land?" Konata asked with a smile. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get Yutaka."

Tsukasa nodded, happily waiting by the door. She didn't need to wait long as it took mere seconds for Konata to walk back out of the classroom, with a mint and rose haired girl following close behind. A brief exchange of pleasantries later and they're walking with Tsukasa and Konata towards the shoe lockers. Tsukasa took this time to stare at the two curiously.

She had always admired Minami. The rather tall and silent first year was a bit intimidating at first glance, but a closer inspection led to Tsukasa noticing her cuter attributes, like her shyness and her reactions to compliments. Yet she always seemed so reserved. Even Tsukasa, who had a knack for reading people, could barely scratch the surface of the stoic. That said, she very much admired smallest girl in their circle of friends as well. She was similar to Tsukasa in that she too could read people but it was likely that Yutaka was much more adept at it than Tsukasa was. Which was one of the reasons why Yutaka and Minami's relationship seemed so perfect, at least to Tsukasa's eyes.

"I acknowledge that it is you're opinion, but I'd like to point out that we're only human" Minami suddenly said, snapping Tsukasa out of her trance. The stoic continued, in her oh so attention-grabbing monotone. "Perfection is a hopeless ideal and therefore impossible to achieve."

" _But_ …" Right as Tsukasa was about to hang her head in embarrassment, Yutaka intervened. "We do our best to be the best girlfriends we can be to each other." She said with a smile.

Minami smiled as well. "And, it seems, so far so good."

"You two are amazing! You're so good at reading people." Tsukasa gushed. "I know you can't read minds, but it's almost like you _can_!"

The two sweatdropped. "We aren't telepathic." Minami sighed in an almost tired voice that made Tsukasa wonder how many times they were mistaken to have telepathy. "We are merely observant"

"It helped that you were whispering what you were thinking" Yutaka added

The youngest Hiiragi blushed and scratched her head in embarrassment. With an awkward giggle, she glanced at Konata. Said girl was snickering. With a final sigh, the topic for conversation faded away.

Upon reaching the shoe lockers, the two groups split, each heading to their respective aisle.

**LUCKY STAR**

Minami opened her shoe locker to find another letter in it. She frowned. _Another one…_

She took the envelope and began reading it's contents.  
_Look at your girlfriend._  
That was all the letter said. As perplexing as the motive was for even sending said letter, the instructions were clear. Minami was more than a little apprehensive when she glanced at her partner.

Yutaka was giving at a letter of her own a hard stare. Quite quickly, she began crumpling it up and tearing it. Her face remained neutral, but Minami could feel the anger radiating from her, even from a few paces away.

 _Anger…?_ Minami noted. _She_ _seems to always have_ _something new_ _to show me_ _today…_ She narrowed her eyes. _Anger is_ _an emotion_ _I_ _had only ever seen from_ _her_ _once – and even then, it wasn't of this intensity. What could drive a girl like Yutaka into the seething rage she seem_ _s_ _to be exhibiting_ _right now_ _?_ Minami didn't know. All she knew was that an angry Yutaka was not something she wanted to see ever again.

"Let it go, Yutaka."

"No. This isn't right. It… It's mean…" The red head's frown was more sadness than anger now. "Why would someone do this… It's not…" She trailed off, visibly too upset to continue speaking.

"I agree. This is not alright." Minami said calmly. She put a hand on Yutaka's shoulder and gently patted her head. "But you shouldn't let this mess with your emotions. It's okay to get upset. What's not okay is if you let your judgment get impaired because of it." She closed her eyes and whispered soothingly. "Now, breathe…"

After a deep sigh, Yutaka nodded. "… I'm okay now…"

"Are you sure…?"

She nodded once more.

"Very well. Let's get back to our senpais now."

**LUCKY STAR**

Tsukasa opened her own locker only to find an unmarked letter sitting neatly over her shoes. _I wonder who sent this_. She wondered. Alas, reading it gave no further clues as to whose it was from. Just a puzzling message. ' _If I were you,_ _I'd stay out of school_ _' What does this mean?_

She shrugged and began putting on her shoes, slipping the letter in her bag. She decided the shelf the matter for later – perhaps it would make more sense if she were at home.

Joining Konata at the front of the school, the two waited for the other couple to arrive. When they _did_ , they seemed visibly upset. It passed quickly, thought – it seemed that the two had quickly suppressed their emotions upon being in sight. Tsukasa didn't comment on it, but there was no denying what she saw.

I wonder what happened with them? She couldn't guess anything that could have possibly happened in that short amount of time that they'd like that. It seemed so out of character. I suddenly really want to ask them about it…

"Alright!" Konata said enthusiastically. She turned and raised her fist, marching energetically out the school. "Tsukasa, Yutaka, let's go home!"

Yutaka gave the mint haired girl a peck on the cheek before following Konata. It was somewhat of an adorable sight, seeing the shorter girl get on her tippy-toes and only reaching neck level. Minami had to bend down a bit. "Bye Minami" Yutaka bid farewell. Minami responded with a nod and wave before walking to the athletics fields…

The two walked to the train station in silence.

**LUCKY STAR**

On the quiet grassy hill at the edge of the track field were three girls sitting peacefully on the slope. Kagami and Ayano had decided to stay for a few hours to watch Misao practice, apparently like they used to back in middle school. Joining them was Miyuki, who wished to get to know Ayano better, fueled by the brief chat she had at with her at lunch.

"So, when did you two meet?" Kagami asked.

"Believe it or not, we met on the day you and Misao got together, all those months ago." Miyuki said with a smile. "I was with Minoru at the time and Minegishi-san asked him to comfort Misao back when you made her cry"

Kagami winced. "Right… I forgot about that…" She then looked down with a curious hmm. "You said Minoru would comfort her? How does he even know her?" She asked

"Well, he _is_ the announcer for most of our school-wide events." Miyuki argued. "I don't think there's a soul in this school who doesn't know who he is."

Kagami closed her eyes and turned away innocently. "Not anymore at least. I had no intention of ever learning his name"

Ayano giggled. "Oh, Hiiragi. You're like that for every new person you meet. Eventually you'll get curious and start to befriend him"

"Ew, no." Kagami shivered. "I try to keep the number of boys who are relevant in my life as low as possible."

"So, I'm guessing teachers and superiors?"Ayano said dryly

"Yup"

"Really, Hiiragi, your refusal to aknowledge any boy as an equal is what keeps you from getting a boy friend"

Kagami stared at Ayano in utter confusion. "You do realize who you're talking to, right?" She asked, chucking.

"Oh…?" Ayano's face lit up. "OH…! Well… This is embarrassing…"

"I'm about as straight as a tangle of wires, Minegishi. So far, the only people I've ever been attracted to were girls… well maybe there's that one guy from Fate/Stay Night but he's fictional so he doesn't count."

The other two looked at her in confusion. "Fate Stay Night?" They asked.

Kagami laughed nervously. "Heheheh… well that's just some anime. It doesn't really matter." She said, waving it off

"Anyway, did your last weekend go? I believe you were studying with Misao-san, correct?" Miyuki asked.

"It went terrible" An immediate answer. "We'd study together in my room for half an hour and after that, she just slumps forward and falls asleep. I'd take five to ten minutes to wake her up and when I mange to do that, she's already forgotten half of what we studied."

"Oh my." Miyuki giggled. She's quite the handful, isn't she?"

"Tell me about it."

Ayano stared at the pony tailed girl curiously. "So…You two study in your room?" She received a nod. "Alone?" Another nod. "For hours"

"The entire afternoon. Why do you ask…? And why are you looking at me like that?" Kagami asked cautiously.

"I… well…" The orange haired girl blushed. "Hiiragi, this is going to sound a bit… perverted… but don't you two…" She tilted her head to the side, looking away. "… do you two… you know…?"

Miyui looked between the two. Kagami didn't seem to understand where Ayano was going and Ayano seemed too embarrassed to actually talked about what she was implying. The pinkette sighed. Looks like she would have to be the one to explain what other did not understand… Again…

She coughed to get their attention. "Kagami-san, I believe she is talking about… um… sexual intercourse"

Kagami blinked. "Eh?" It was quite visible when the realization dawn upon her as her cheeks started turning red. She slowly looked down, not making eye contact with anyone. "Oh… I… um…"

Ayano was similarly flustered, looking down at the ground as well. "… I'm sorry for the awkward question, Hiiragi…"

"N-no… No, it's fine… just… unexpected."

 _The dynamic between Kagami-san and Minegishi-san is interesting._ Miyuki noted. _They seem close, and are quite fine with opening up to each other, but deliberately keep their distance_ _for whatever strange reason_ _… I wonder_ _exactly what that reason is. These two have been friends for a long time. There doesn't seem to be any reason for them to be as awkward as they are… then again, even_ I _would be flustered if I were to ask or be asked a question on that particular… topic…_

"Well… the thing is… we haven't exactly done it yet… like… at all…" Kagami explained.

"Have you at least kissed?"

"Yes but… you can count how many times on one hand…" The tsundere said, looking away. When she glanced back, she saw Ayano was leaning forward, staring at her. "… Um… Minegishi…?"

"How many times…?"

"… Four…"

"The fang sticking out of her lip. Does it make it feel any different?"

"How should I know? I've only ever kissed _her_ on the lips." Kagami said, blushing and looking away once more. "Besides, doesn't her brother have a fang too? You should at least know how it feels."

Ayano's expression soured and she looked away as well.

"… Minegishi…?"

Miyuki looked between the two, somewhat distressed. _Oh dear. It seems the conversation it drifting towards the danger zone._ _What landmine was tripped this time?_

"We haven't exactly kissed… yet… yeah, we haven't kissed yet…"

Kagami outright blew up in outrage. "What? You've been dating for three years! How does that work!?"

Miyuki put a hand on Kagami's shoulder "Kagami-san, if I may?" The glasses-girl paused briefly for an answer. When she received none, she decided to continue. "Kagami, not all relationships are ones where a kiss is an expression of love. Sometimes, kisses make one or both of them uncomfortable. It's perfectly okay not to kiss at all in a relationship. It's nothing to freak out about."

Kagami hung her head. "…Er… Sorry. I was just shocked. I didn't mean to yell…"

"Um… It's okay… Hiiragi… just… I don't really like talking about it…" Ayano replied softly.

An awkward silence settled between the two. Not quite as awkward as the interaction they had earlier, but awkward enough that it can't just be ignored. It was unfortunate that Miyuki was not very adept at reviving a conversation as she didn't enjoy sitting next to them as they both stared at the grass they were sitting on. Luckily, the cavalry arrived, so to speak.

"Sorry to intrude. Good afternoon, Nee-san, Kagami-senpai." Minami walked up to the three, staring at them with a slightly tilted head and somewhat furrowed brow – a subtle expression of curiosity. She turned towards Ayano. "I am Minami Iwasaki. I don't believe we've met."

Ayano quickly recovered from her flustered daze and returned the greeting. "I'm Ayano Minegishi. Pleased to meet you, Iwasaki-san" To which Minami nodded in reply.

"Would you mind if Minami joins us for a while?" Miyuki asked. "I believe she wishes to spend time with me and get to know my friends."

"Certainly." Ayano answered. "The more the merrier, right Hiiragi?"

To which Kagami answered. "Eh, sure. Why not?"

As Minami settled down, Kagami and Ayano resumed their conversation, doing their best to stray away from the topic of physical intimacy with their respective partners. Of course, while the tension was dissipating, it was still there – more so with Ayano than Kagami.

Minami glanced at Miyuki and gave her a questioning look. Miyuki sweat dropped. Oh dear. I have no idea how to non-verbally convey what happened. She realized. She decided to simply whisper into Minami's ear.

"Minegishi-san and Kagami-san stumbled upon a bit of an unfavorable topic earlier. They're both still somewhat… uncomfortable… with talking to each other."

Minami nodded. Then she stared at Ayano once more and narrowed her eyes. _She looks in pain…_

Miyuki looked at Ayano as well, unsure as to what the mint haired girl was saying. _In pain? She looks fine to me. What do you see?_

Minami frowned "I think she's hiding something. Something painful."

Miyuki raised an eyebrow. "Their topic earlier was about their partners and intimacy."

"That isn't much to go off of…" The stoic commented. "I have my theories. I'd rather not speak of it while she's so near, though."

"Very well. We'll speak about this later." Miyuki nodded. Minami nodded back. They then joined the other two in the conersation.

**LUCKY STAR**

As the train came to a stop, Tsukasa could only smile sadly in reply to Konata's wave good bye. This was one of many times in which Tsukasa wished she lived closer to Konata – perhaps a station closer. She felt weirdly lonely every time they had to part and being one station closer to where Konata would get off would simply lessen the time in which Tsukasa would feel said loneliness.

Of course, that was little more than wishful thinking, as the whoosh of the train doors closing were quick to remind her. Right as she felt the train accelerate, Konata and Yutaka turned around and made their way home.

Tsukasa blinked. Her smile was still on her face yet it no longer felt genuine. Returning to a neutral expression, she bowed her head and sighed.

_And there she goes._

She walked away from the door, towards an empty seat. Sitting down, she pulled out her phone and began reading the new messages. Most of them were messages from her mother. A request for her to buy groceries.

 _Hmm… from the ingredients, Mom must have something special in mind for dinner tonight_. Tsukasa commented. _I wonder if she'll let me watch… if she'll let me help… I wonder…_

Flipping her phone closed, she pocketed it once more. Shifting on her seat, Tsukasa looked out the window, quietly wishing that the train would go faster. And slower. Slower when she was with Konata. Faster when she was alone.

Alone… The word didn't feel at all familiar – the feeling felt even less so. Loneliness was not something she was used to.

 _This is one of the few times when I'm every really alone…_ Tsukasa realized. _There's normally someone with me when I'm going home. The only other time I've ever been alone where I actually_ _FELT_ _alone was_ _when I found out Kagami and I wouldn't be classmates and_ _…_ Her eyes widened. _…_ _And_ _the day Konata and I became a couple…_

She remembered going home, alone on the train that evening. She and Konata had went to Gamerz for a little bit of shopping, buying an item which pushed the metaphorical snowball down the snowy hill. On the train, they decided that they'd get together. But like just earlier, Konata had gotten off before Tsukasa did, leaving her to her own thoughts. The last time she ever felt lonely was the day she had something that was hers – a relationship.

 _Onee-chan is normally always with me._ Tsukasa thought. _When we became highschoolers, that changed. I felt so lonely… But that stopped in a week, which was when I met Konata._ She smiled. _I remember how she kicked that foreigner in the face because she thought I was in danger. Then we found out how he was just asking for directions. I never felt more amused or emba_ _r_ _rassed._

The image of the bluenette flashed before her eyes. She heard the sound of her voice singing softly in her head – the feeling of her fingers intertwined with hers – the faint smell of vanilla in her hair – even the taste of chocolate from her lips. She was nearly overwhelmed as the memory of those sensations rushed through her. She shook her head but those thoughts wouldn't leave. It was all but burned into her memory.

She lightly rubbed her chest over her heart, breathing slowly. Why was she remembering those things? And why now of all times? The answer wouldn't come.

But perhaps it did. Its just that she wasn't asking the right question. A thought came to her as she slowly let the memories fade away into the calm recesses of her mind, to be invoked again when she felt like remembering. A thought came to her – an epiphany of sorts – an answer to a question she had been asked before but had long forgotten. A question posed to her by her parents, Kagami, and even Konata herself. Did she like Konata Izumi? Like… like-like her? She answered yes before but now, that answer had changed.

 _No_. _I don't like her._ Tsukasa thought. _I love her…_

A decisive stream of pride welled up inside of her. She wanted to scream to the world – nigh, scream to the universe – what she just realized. She almost did. She had already stood up and had taken a deep breath. She was however saved from embarrassing herself when the train slowed to a stop and the speakers blared the announcement of they station they had arrived at. I just so happened to be Tsukasa's stop.

She exhaled, soundlessly, grateful that she didn't end up screaming to the train at the top of her lungs that she was in love with her girlfriend. In hindsight, the fact that Konata was _already_ her girlfriend sort of made her realization a bit less of a big deal. True, she didn't exactly believe that she herself was in love until that very moment, but still, it was a big discovery.

As Tsukasa walked off, she remembered the words she said all those months ago. _I think I may be falling in love with you._ She had told Konata. It was the simple and honest truth at the time. Now though…

 _No. Not_ _'_ _think_ _'_ _. I don't_ _'_ _think_ _'_ _that anymore._ She thought. _Am. I AM. I am in love with Konata Izumi._

She smiled as she walked home, growing happier and happier every time she repeated those words in her head.

**LUCKY STAR**

The Izumi household was not quiet when Konata and Yutaka arrived. Upon taking off their shoes, they notice a third pair by the door – large brown loafers. They were much too big for any of the girls, not to mention that only one person in that household actually wore those kinds of shoes. They put on their slippers and check the kitchen.

"Yo, Dad, what's cooking?" Konata asked, her signature cake smile adorning her face.

"It's nothing very creative. Just some fried rice with some eggs and hot dog." Sojiro answered. "Go one and get changed. I'll be done in a bit."

"Thanks, Dad." Konata gestured for Yutaka to follow. "C'mon, Yu-chan. Food is waiting for us!"

**LUCKY STAR**

The Iwasaki Estate remained fairly quiet, even as the two mothers chatted while they waited for their daughters to come down for dinner. Said daughters were upstairs in Minami's room.

Having changed out of her uniform into more casual clothes, Minami sat next to Miyuki on her bed who was similarly clothed.

"So, Minami. What did you see?" Miyuki asked. Straight to the point. Minami liked that

"The topic they spoke about earlier was… intimacy… with their respective partners, correct?" The pinkette nodded, prompting Minami to continue. "She seems pained, in that she's hiding something and that topic brought mention of it. That something must be quite unpleasant."

Miyuki frowned. "Do you have any ideas as to what it could be?" She asked. "I expect it to involve her boyfriend, though that's about it."

Minami tilted her head curiously. "You mean that boy that looks like Misao?"

Miyuki blinked. "Why… yes… Ayano Minegishi's boyfriend is Misao's brother, Masaru Kusakabe…" She stared at the mint haired girl in confusion. "How did you know?"

"He was at our fortune telling booth during the festival. Yutaka was predicting his future when Minegishi-san came and dragged him away. He looked terrified."

"Terrified?" Minami nodded in answer to Miyuki's confused query. "Huh… I wouldn't exactly describe Minegishi-san as terrifying…"

Minami nodded once more. "Well, from what I've gathered, This Masaru Kusakabe seems to be… the victim of an abusive relationship."

Miyuki's eyes widened. "What? Why do you say that?"

Minami thought for a bit, scowling as she tried to translate her thoughts into words. With more than a little difficulty, she managed to form them into something coherent.

"Well, this is just from my observation of their interaction during the festival but Masaru Kusakabe is absolutely terrified of Ayano Minegishi, the person who he's supposedly in a romantic relationship. I observed Ayano Minegishi's implied threats in her speech was she violently dragged the boy out of the booth by the collar."

Miyuki winced. "I heard that Minegishi-san is a bit short tempered and quite violent but I did not expect that…"

Minami nodded. "It is a bit… disturbing." She commented.

The pinkette sighed. "I suppose we should go down and have dinner now" She stood and walked towards the door, hand hesitating at the door knob. She let her arm fall to her eyes and turned back to Minami. "Unless you have something else to talk about…"

Minami thought for a bit. Several events though out the day ran through her mind – Patricia and Hiyori; Yutaka – but to talk about them would mean further lengthening their mothers' wait. She decided to shelf the topics until after dinner. The mint haired girl gave Miyuki a stare.

Miyuki chuckled "Okay then. It can wait." She opened the door and gestured for Minami to join her. "Come. Dinner awaits"

[miyuki and minami talk quietly right before dinner about ayano and patricia]

**LUCKY STAR**

Kagami walked down the street, head hung and feet dragging. She felt tired. So very tired. Still, she couldn't help but appreciate how peaceful her street was. The bright lights of the street lamps bringing new life to the old and mundane street she walked everyday; the quiet sound the city traffic off in the distance, reminding her how fragile the silence in her neighborhood was; the crisp autumn breeze stinging her nose with cold air every time she inhaled – she felt at peace.

 _Strange. I always thought being at peace meant you don't feel terrible._ Kagami chuckled to herself. _I have zero motivation to do anything and strained will power caused by forcing myself to do things anyway. I feel so tired that I could slip into a coma for a few weeks and I'd be totally fine with it. And yet… I feel at peace… I have no idea if that makes any sense._

She shook her head. Such morbid thoughts should be purged from her system. She didn't need them. They only made things worse. She needed a distraction. Something else to think about while walking home.

… _Never mind, looks like I'm already here…_

She pulled out her key and unlocked the door. "I'm home!" She called, taking off her shoes. From the sounds she heard from the kitchen, it looked like every one was already eating. _Great. Looks like I'm gonna have to explain to Dad why I was late…_

Entering the kitchen, Kagami was immediately greeted by a warm welcome and an invitation to sit and eat. "Oo. What's that?"

Miki smiled. "Just a little recipe I saw on TV. I thought I'd try it."

And so the six Hiiragis ate in silence, savoring the meal. Strangely enough Kagami was the first to finish. Tsukasa made no comment but both Matsuri and Inori had something to say.

"Seriously, how do you eat that fast? Won't you get a stomachache or something?" Matsuri asked

"You finished at the same time that I did, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I started earlier and you ate twice as much as I did."

"Besides, doesn't eating quickly mean you'll gain weight faster?" Inori added

Kagami frowned and rubbed her stomach. "I don't know… I'm actually starting to think I'm a little too thin, you know?" When Inori and Matsuri just stared at her, Kagami back up a bit. "I'm getting self conscious around Misao, okay? She's all buff and stuff while I'm just skin and bones."

The two glanced at each other before looking away from Kagami. Matsuri spoke first. "Well… you _have_ been looking a little thin recently. And not in a good way…"

"I suppose it's a good thing that you're eating more. Get some meat on your bones" Inori reasoned. "Maybe throw in some daily exercise and you can look as buff as your girlfriend."

"As buff as Misao, huh…?"

The scene played out in Kagami's mind. She and Misao running on the track. She keeps up with the brunette for a while but soon she is over taken. Even still, she presses on, trying to close the steadily increasing gap. Eventually she tires out and collapses on the floor panting. When she next opens her eyes, Misao is standing above her, offering her hand. She could already see the grin on Misao's face when she takes the hand.

Kagami smiled sadly. "Yeah… like that'll happen…"

After a few minutes, the last of the Hiiragis finished eating. However, no one left the table. They could tell that there was something to be said.

Tadao cleared his throat. "Kagami, I'd like to ask… why were you late to dinner today?"

Kagami didn't meet her father's eyes. "I stayed at school to watch Misao practice."

"Why didn't you tell us you were going to be late?"

 _I told Tsukasa to tell you_ , she wanted to say. In actuality, it was the truth but like hell was she going to get her sister in trouble as well. "I forgot…" She said flatly.

"… You… forgot…?" The man didn't seem like he believed it. He frowned and sighed. "I'm disappointed in you, Kagami. You never forgot things like that before…" When Kagami didn't react nor return his gaze, his expression softened. "Since you're usually good about things like this, I'll let you off the hook. Just don't let it happen again." With that, he stood up and brought his plate to the sink.

Kagami stood up as well, bringing her own dishes to be washed and made her way to her room.

**LUCKY STAR**

Misao arrived home that night after dinner – she got food from the convenience store on the way so she didn't mind. When she entered the house, there was silence – the all too familiar silence that has been lingering within the Kusakabe residence for a long time. Taking off her shoes, she began looking around. Upon entering the living room, she was greeted by her brother on the couch with a laptop, writing what looked be an essay. Misao frowned when she noticed how cautiously the boy turned to face her.

"You're late." He deadpanned, looking bored.

Of course he'd open with that statement. It was exactly the kind of thing Misao expected him to say. Granted, she knew it was only because she ended up missing dinner with him and the grandparents. An irritating aura that seemed to be exclusive to angry old people always radiated from them whenever they see or hear something they dislike. She could easily imagine the disapproval Masaru felt from them as they ate. Misao knew how unpleasant it felt so she didn't really blame him for being angry at her for being late.

However, her attention was brought back to something she noticed earlier. She decided to comment on this. "Do your sides still hurt?" She asked. She was trying to be delicate as she broached the subject. The topic wasn't one that she'd consider an easy one to talk about.

Masaru scowled. In his eyes there was hate, guilt, and profound confusion. Just looking into them made Misao's temper go up for no apparent reason. "That's none of your business" He snapped before returning to his laptop. "Get out of my sight."

Misao clenched her teeth. _I'm trying to be nice, you asshole._ The thought harshly. She tore her gaze away. _You've got_ _a_ _broken rib. You shouldn't even be out of the hospital yet…_

As angry as Masaru made her, she just couldn't get worked up. She was just too worried. The boy put off seeing a doctor for two days and he insisted he stay hospitalized for only a week. _Of course, gramps and gran gave him what he wanted._ _He was out of there by Friday last week._ Misao thought bitterly.

She stole one last glance at the boy before complying with his demand. She left the living room and made for her bedroom. Once she entered her own room and the door finally closed, she dropped her bag and threw herself onto the bed. "What the hell, Masaru…?" She muttered into the pillow.


	3. A Day in the Rain

Wednesday was not a very eventful day. Just as it was predicted some days ago, it rained. It was not a heavy downpour, rather, a steady trickle – an almost rhythmic shower that accompanied the gray sky through out the day. That said, the students still felt mildly depressed at the turn the weather had taken. Very few were able to appreciate the quiet calm such a monotonous drizzle could bring with it.

Kagami was one of those people. Even as the other students assigned to stay and clean the classroom cleaned and went, Kagami remained, standing by the window, watching the rain drops fall. Thousands upon thousands of drops, all different yet the same, falling in unison yet at different times – it was beautiful – no, sad – no – she didn't know what to think. She just knew that such a mundane event somehow caught her interest. It caught it and held it just within arm's reach. She could easily take her eyes off the rain, yet she didn't. Why that was the case was perhaps the question that puzzled her the most.

"Kagami, are you okay?"

Kagami blinked. A familiar voice sounded behind her. She did not even hear the door open. She must have been more dazed that she realized. She turned and addressed the voice.

"Hello, Misao"

Misao looked at her with worried eyes – eyes that, when looking at her the way they were, just didn't look right. To her horror, she realized that for the longest time, Misao have been wearing a face like that because of her. It was terrible.

Misao blinked in surprise. "Kagami, you're crying. Is anything wrong?" She asked, taking a few steps closer.

Kagami brought her hand to her eyes. Much to her surprise, she _was_ crying. "… Huh. So I am…" She chuckled quietly before whispering. "I don't know, Misao. _Is_ anything wrong?" She turned her back to face the windows. "It doesn't feel like anything's wrong… but I don't feel like anything's right either." She whispered. "I'm tired, Misao… I'm tired and numb… I don't feel anything. The only thing I feel is the urge to go outside and get myself drenched in the rain" She chuckled again. "It's a stupid idea, I know. I'd get soaked and I'd probably catch a cold… But somehow, I really want to feel those drops hit my skin… Like a cold, wet massage, or something…" She managed a small smile. It wasn't often she'd adhere to silly analogies. It felt somewhat satisfying to make one up herself, despite her fatigue.

She vaguely felt two arms wrap around her waist and a chin rest itself on her shoulder. Misao embraced her gently. She felt warm – so very warm.

"Let's go." Misao said.

Kagami blinked and turned to face Misao. "… what?"

Mere inches from each other, Misao brought her face even closer, their cheeks rubbing against each other. "Let's go outside" She then released Kagami from the embrace and grabbed her hand, pulling her along as she walked out of the classroom.

"Wait, you took me seriously!?" Kagami stumbled a bit when Misao picked up the pace. Of course, that didn't stop Kagami from struggling. And struggle she did, for a time, until she eventually gave in and let the brunette drag her out of the building and into the freezing cold rain. "Hey, no, stop… Misao… You know what? Fine, let's go"

Kagami was hit with a surprising amount of sensations the moment she stepped outside. The constant drone of falling water was louder, no longer muffled by thick walls of concrete and the glass panels of the windows. The air was moist and cold, slipping past her layers of clothing and chilling her to the bone. It was so cold that, with every breath, her nose stung with the smell of the icy autumn wind.

The first drop of rain that hit her skin was electric, causing goosebumps all over her body. Then the next came. Then the next. In a mere moment, it felt like a static discharge occurred across her entire body. It was painful, but only for a second. After that, she began to calm down.

"Misao, why did you take me seriously!?" Kagami grumbled angrily. "Really, is a melancholic whisper all it takes to convince you that I really want something?"

Of course, her words were lost in the continuous pitter-patter of falling water. Not a word reached Misao's ears. The brunette simply stood in the middle of the school courtyard, staring quietly at the sky. Kagami could only smile sadly at the sight. She brought her own eyes up to see the rain drops speeding towards her, the gray of the sky making it difficult to see the grey of the water. A vast colorless expanse being brought down to the Earth. Such a simple sight… yet so breath taking.

She walked to Misao's side and brushed the brunette's hand with her own. Their fingers intertwined. Closing her eyes, Kagami let the rain drops continue falling on her, a smile slowly finding it's way on her face

"Maybe you were right, bringing me out here…" Kagami whispered. "I think I needed this…"

**LUCKY STAR**

Hiyori Tamura scribbled angrily at her sketchpad, tearing out the page and throwing it away in a crumpled ball immediately after she finished, only to start drawing once more. This cycle repeated for several iterations until the point where club activities had already ended and Hiyori was left in an empty club room with only the club president, Ko Yasaka, and the club's faculty advisor, Hikaru Sakuraba.

"Tamura, you're making a mess." Sakuraba scolded, not looking up from the book she was reading. Hiyori didn't look up from her sketch book either. Sakuraba sighed. "Yasaka, do something about your subordinate. I'd rather not act directly on this."

"Why not, teach?" Ko asked.

Sakuraba's grip on her book tightened slightly. "Let's just say I've recently lost confidence in myself when it comes to dealing with students' issues." She muttered cryptically. "Please, Yasaka."

"Okay then. Don't expect much, though. She's been like this for two weeks."

"So I've noticed. Go"

Ko walked over to Hiyori noting how severely pissed she was. "Hiyori, I'm sure you know I care very deeply for all of my subordinates…" She began, knowing full well how ridiculous her word choice was. "And recently, I noticed how you've been really angry at… well… everything." She coughed. "Anyway, I'd like to know what's wrong. You don't mind telling me, do you…?"

Hiyori looked up from her work, teary eyed, barely chocking down a sob. Ko stared at her with a blank smile. _Shit. I am not prepared for this._

"Patricia… she… she…"

"Go on…" Ko said slowly. _Patricia? Didn't she and Hiyori break up recently? More specifically, didn't_ Hiyori _break up up with her?_

"I… I still like her"

Ko blinked. "What? Then why did you break up with her?"

Hiyori answered with a stream of words that Ko barely understood before she laid her head on the table, pulling at her hair. "Becauseshe'ssodenseandmanipulativeandjust… ahhhhh…"

As Ko took a few seconds to process Hiyori's sentence, Sakuraba watched from the teacher's table, quietly assessing the situation. _Tamura dated the American exchange student…_ _And she's 'dense' and 'manipulative'_ _…_ _hmm…_

"If you already know that she's manipulative, why do you still love her?" Ko asked with an increasingly confused look on her face. "From the way you describe her, I'd say you were in an abusive relationship. Why the hell would you want to go back?"

Hiyori didn't remove her head off the table. "I don't know!"

Ko made no comment but turned towards Sakuraba in an obvious plea for help. Sakuraba, however, had no idea what to tell her. Hiyori had taken the first step to moving on but apparently was not ready to take the next one. The teacher doubted that anything she said would have much effect – even less so if she used her usual methods of 'helping'. Of course, she couldn't just deny Ko, who was sending the biggest distress signal she had seen in as many years. _Fine. Let's see what I can do._

Sakuraba stood, walked over to Ko, and addressed Hiyori. "Tamura, if I may ask, have you ever tried talking to Miss Martin?"

"Yes, but she shuts me down every time for whatever topic she originally had planned."

"Have you ever put your foot down and _made her_ listen?"

Hiyori raised her head and turned to Sakuraba. "Yes! Multiple times! In the end, she started to ignore me!" She yelled. "And in the times where she _did_ listen, she ended up pinning the blame on _me_!"

The teacher's jaw clenched. _Yasaka was correct. Why_ would _Tamura want to go back to her relationship with Martin?_ As she wondered this, a thought popped into her mind – an idea that sounded quite plausible in their given situation.

"Hiyori Tamura, do you know the meaning of the term ' _Stockholm Syndrome_ '?" When Hiyori shook her head, Sakuraba continued. "Stockholm Syndrome originated from a bank heist in Stockholm where the robbers took hostages and said hostages ended up forming an emotional bond with their captors – to the point where they made it difficult for the police to rescue them. Basically, it's when the recipient of abuse grows close to the abuser."

"So you're saying I have Stockholm Syndrome?"

"You show signs of it, yes. Remember, I'm a Biology teacher, not a psychologist. I may very well be wrong." Sakuraba warned. "But never mind that. It's very likely that that you have it and I'd just like to point out that your wanting to go back is perfectly okay."

"So you're saying I should go back to her?"

"No, I said your wanting to go back is perfectly okay. I meant exactly what I said. What I'd like to know is if you believe Martin can change." Sakuraba said, voice steadily growing quieter yet all the sharper. "And if so, do you believe that you are the one that will change her?"

Hiyori looked down, lost in thought. After some time, she finally answered. "I don't know…"

"Are you afraid, Tamura-san?" Sakuraba asked softly.

"… A bit…" Hiyori answered, growing teary eyed.

"Well… that's normal." Sakuraba began walking back to her desk and began packing up. "Just remember, you still have your friends. You're not alone." Right before she exited the room, she turned back to Ko. "Yasaka, once Tamura's recovered a bit, lock up. It's raining outside and it doesn't look like it's about to stop. I'd rather not have you stranded here at school"

With that, Sakuraba left, leaving the two alone.

The moment was silent – Ko had nothing to say and neither did Hiyori – but neither girl felt any awkwardness. If anything, Hiyori was too upset to feel awkward, while Ko was never really affected by awkward silences.

"Hey, Tamura, you okay yet?" Ko asked. When Hiyori didn't answer, Ko asked again. "Tamura, are you okay yet?"

"… Ko-senpai, please… just… give me some time…" The raven haired girl said through clenched teeth. "I'll be okay in a bit…"

"Well, I can't exactly give you more time. It's getting late and, like teach said, the rain's not gonna stop any time soon." Ko reasoned. She began picking up the glasses-girl's stuff and packing it into said girl's bag. "C'mon, you can mope on the way home" Shouldering the bag, the blonde bag dragged Hiyori to her feet and began pushing her out the door. "Pick up the slack, Tamura. I can't carry you all the way there."

After some struggling on Ko's part, Hiyori finally began walking, albeit slowly.

Ko frowned. _Geez. That Martin girl really did a number on her…_

**LUCKY STAR**

"Hey, Konata, isn't that Onee-chan down there?"

Tsukasa stood in front of the window, watching two people stand in the middle of the rain. Confusion was a plenty as she had no clue why they were doing that. Worse, still, they looked like her sister and Misao.

Konata tip toed to see what Tsukasa saw. After some struggling, she answered. "Yes, Tsukasa. That girl down there is Kagami. The one next to her is probably Misakichi"

"Hmm…"

"It looks like they're having a moment of intimacy. Let's not invade their privacy, shall we?" Tsukasa turned to face Konata who gestured for her to leave her spot in front of the windows. "C'mon" She said, walking away

Tsukasa nodded, picking up her bag and then walking to Konata's side. "Where are we going?"

"Out the back entrance" The bluenette said

To which the taller girl stared in confusion. "There's a back entrance?"

Indeed, when the shorter girl lead her out of the shoe lockers, and around to the back of the building, there was a small gate at the back of the school. Compared to the front gate, it was pretty much just a door made of steel bars.

"Wow, I never noticed this before." Tsukasa said quietly.

She and Konata walked out the gate quietly. The only sound was the pitter-patter of the rain on the umbrella that they stood under. Tsukasa felt very excited to be somewhere new despite the fact that she was only a few steps away from the school she had grown so familiar with.

"Well, we skirted Kagami and Misao. They seemed to really be having a moment there." Konata chuckled. "I really wanted to just call out to them and ruin their moment just to see Kagami's face"

Tsukasa's curiousity was piqued. She looked at the shorter girl was a curious gaze. "Why didn't you?"

"Because Kagami still seems a little fragile. She's still recovering" Konata explained. "Besides, she looked so happy standing in the rain with Misakichi. It'd break my heart to to tear that away from her"

Tsukasa blinked _Oh, that's right…_ she realized. _I forgot that Konata still has feelings for Kagami…_

Perhaps she had grown used to it but the fact did not hurt her the way it did before. She remembered when she found out about it. She was crestfallen. She pretty much cried for an entire afternoon with Konata trying to calm her down the entire. It pained Tsukasa so much that Konata loved someone else even as she was in a relationship with her. Worse, still, she thought she'd never be able to compete. Kagami was an amazing person. She was so strong, and responsible, not to mention smarter and more athletic than Tsukasa. How could she match up to that? She might as well have just broken up with Konata the moment she found out.

Of course, she didn't do that. She knew just cutting things off would hurt Konata. She just couldn't bring herself to do something like that. So she did the only thing she could. She cried. She let it all out. Konata patiently listened as Tsukasa sobbed each and every pained word. She stayed with her. This confused Tsukasa a lot.

 _Why did she stay?_ she had though. Konata loved someone else but stayed with Tsukasa. Why? Even when Konata answered the question, Tsukasa was still left asking. _She stayed because I'm her girlfriend. What does that even mean?_ Tsukasa sure didn't know.

So Konata explained. She explained as best she could, though she herself wasn't sure of the exact reason either. It was unclear if it was a sense of duty, guilt, or budding feelings for Tsukasa, but Konata wanted to stay with her. And so she did.

But it took a long time for Tsukasa to accept Konata loving someone else. Sure, they had made up within a day, but the pain still lingered. Eventually, the pain did end up fading, and what replaced it was the wonderful feeling of love from the bluenette. But the pain never went away.

Tsukasa shook her head. She had to stop thinking about that. She was pretty sure it was jealousy and jealousy was a bad thing. It's better to think about the good things than the bad things. Her only problem was Konata's feelings for Kagami wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Tsukasa, you okay?" Konata asked. Suddenly _she_ was the one holding the umbralla

Tsukasa blinked. She must have blanked out again. "Sorry. Was just thinking"

"What were you thinking of? You looked pretty sad about it…"

Tsukasa frowned. She knew they agreed that they would talk about the things they had problems with but it was easier said than done, especially if it involved topics as painful as what she was wrestling with in her mind.

"You still like Kagami, right…?"

Konata remained silent for a long time. They stood in the rain, unmoving, staring intensely at each other. Konata looked down. "… Yeah… I still have feelings for her…"

Tsukasa sighed. She wasn't surprised yet her heart still sank. Still, it didn't make her love Konata any less. That said, she remembered her epiphany some days ago.

"I love you" Tsukasa said, voice clear and direct. One could almost assume it was acting had she not been looking straight at Konata. When the shorter girl brought her head back up and returned her gaze, Tsukasa repeated it. "I love you, Konata Izumi"

Tsukasa could sense the blend of emotions swirling inside Konata. It was written right on her face. She was happy. She was hurt. She was proud. She was confused. But more than that, she was absolutely terrified.

She let go of the umbrella, letting it fall to the ground. "Tsukasa… you just…"

"I swear this is true." Tsukasa said, rain slowly trickling down her face.. "I love you."

They stood in the rain, saying nothing. Konata stood there, shocked and teary eyed. In front of her was Tsukasa, surprisingly calm. The taller girl took a step forward and embraced the shorter, quietly singing a verse of a song Konata had once sang to Tsukasa all those months ago.

_~Close your eyes…  
Don't you cry…  
Love's around you…  
In time, you'll fly…~_

Konata looked up at her, rubbing tears out of her eyes and smiling wryly. "I've played so many visual novels. Hundreds of fictional girls have confessed their love for me. You'd think I'd be used to this…" She returned Tsukasa's hug, burying her face in the taller girl's bosom "But I'm not… I don't know what to say Tsukasa… Just…"

"Then don't say anything. Just promise me you'll stay with me…" Tsukasa whispered softly.

The answer came quietly. "…I'll stay…"

For a time, the two remain intertwined.

**LUCKY STAR**

Miyuki and Minami quietly watched the millions of drops of rain collide against Miyuki's bed room window. The sound of water impacting the roof left a faint yet constant drone echoing though out the building, leaving the two's silence to be not quite as silent as they'd wish. Not that they'd notice. They had a lot on their minds.

"So has Yutaka shown any more ' _differences_ '?" Miyuki asked.

Minami shook her head. "It's the same as always. She gets a letter which she reads, curtly tears up, and throws into the trash."

"Have you received any more letters?"

Minami shook her head again. "They were all sent to Yutaka. But in a way, whoever is doing this is hurting me much more than when they were sending me letters directly." She whispered angrily. "I wish I put a stop to it right this instant…"

"I've asked around. No one was seen around your lockers recently. The paper is standard 8x10 that's sold literally every where. The ink is also found an most printers on the market. As far as we can tell, anyone and no one sent those letters." Miyuki sighed. "They hide their footprints well, whoever they are."

"I would just ignore it if it wasn't for the fact that they're targeting Yutaka…"

"Hmm…" Miyuki walked away from the window, her back to Minami. "Are they, though? Yutaka seems more angered than hurt." She turned her head to look at the mint haired girl, eyes narrowing. "You, on the other hand, seem to be experiencing the brunt of the distress from this situation."

Minami frowned. "Their target is me…?"

"Think about it. You may very well be the most intimidating person in this school. For one, you are quite tall. For another, nothing seems to bother you. Whatever attempts to make you feel bad aren't likely to succeed." Miyuki pushed up her glasses. "But Yutaka seems to be the one thing that can break your stoic mask. It makes perfect sense that they'd attack her to get to you"

Minami's scowl deepened. "But…"

"But it's only a theory." The pinkette admitted. "One of many. I feel like that one's my most valid."

Minami's expression softened. "I… It almost felt like you were the one who sent the letters…"

Miyuki blinked. "Eh?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little paranoid. The way you described your theory just… it makes me feel like you're the one who sent those letters. My mind came to you because… well… you're the only one who knows us that well…"

Miyuki stared at Minami, lost in thought before she sighed. "Well, there goes my almost perfect theory. You seem to have found a rather large hole in it." When Minami simply looked back with confusion, Miyuki explained. "I did not take that into account. I've forgotten how much more open you are to me and Yutaka compared to everyone else." She then looked at Minami seriously. "Do you truly believe that I would do that to you?"

Minami shook her head. "I don't think it's in your nature."

"It's not?" Miyuki pouted. "Do you really feel like I'm completely harmless?"

Minami chuckled. "No, not _completely_ harmless. Your intelligence comes across as intimidating at times but your personality and occasional clumsiness more than compensates"

The pinkette sighed. "And here I thought I managed to act threatening, even though it wasn't intentional…"

After a short pause, Minami broke the silence. "I'd like a change of topic… possibly… another thing that's bothering me…"

"I take it you mean Patricia Martin?" Miyuki asked with a tilt of her head.

Minami nodded. Indeed, the blonde exchange student was on her mind. A big 'why' kept repeating in the stoic's head as she thought about her. Why did she act the way she did? Why does she seem so unaffected by it all? Why does she believe that she's in the right? There was only one person who could answer those questions and Minami had seen very little for her for most of the week.

"I cannot seem to get over it. I do not understand but I truly wish that I did."

"I have more theories about that. I doubt it will help but I could tell you about them." Miyuki suggested.

As tempting as the offer was to Minami, the pinkette's theories were so many and varied. Not one seemed less likely than the other with the little information given to them - which made it difficult for Minami to assess the situation. On one hand, Patricia was more at fault than Hiyori in everything that they went through. On the other hand, Patricia seemed quite adamant that Hiyori explicitly tell her what was wrong. From what Minami heard, she also chooses whether to listen to Hiyori or not. What could possibly be the reason for her to act like that? Patricia wasn't inherently a bad person. Why then was she like that to Hiyori? Was it the sex? Hiyori's submissive attitude? The questions just kept piling up.

"I'd rather not hear any more theories. They don't answer the question, they only give us more to ask."

"Well then, I don't know what to say to you. On the topic of Patricia Martin, I doubt I'll be able to give you any new insights until we gain new information." Miyuki gave Minami a look.

Minami tilted her head curiously. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"I'm sorry Minami. I know you hate prying but to gain new information on this matter, we'll have to gather it ourselves. That means prying into lives that are not our own."

Minami frowned. She had, for the longest time, hated those who pry. Like Yutaka had said before, there are some secrets people would rather _keep_ secret. Whether good or bad, it had to be their decision and theirs alone to let others know about it. She hated being forced to talk, and prying often forced people to do just that.

But it was necessary. Minami knew this. New information cannot be gained if one does not strive to gather it. And for once, she had something she just couldn't let go for some reason. She needed to know the answer. Just like with the letter, she wanted it to stop. She wanted everything to go back to the way they once were. And if not, she wanted her friends to receive the closure they need.

"I wish all of this would just end. I wish I could wake up and suddenly everything's back to normal"

Miyuki sighed. "Alas, this is not a dream, but reality…"

There was a short silence, only broken when Miyuki stood and walked to the door. "Shall we have dinner now? I'm sure Honoka-san made quite the tear for us?"

Minami tilted her head once more, a smile slowly finding its way on her face. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. It's as good a reason as any to shelf this topic for later" Minami stood and followed Miyuki out the room, turning off the lights before they closed the door.

**LUCKY STAR**

Yutaka laid her head on her desk. She had just finished her homework, not quite sure whether what she wrote was correct. Such was the problem of an English essay. Aside from the content needing to be on topic, it also had to be in English. Her content may very well be correct. The grammar and spelling might not.

_I wish I could just ask Patty-chan for help. But she doesn't want to talk to us anymore…_

Yutaka sighed. As sad as that fact was, even sadder was what happened between Patricia and Hiyori. Yutaka truly did believe they were a good match for each other. They had similar interests and they were already friends. Why _wouldn't_ they be a match, right? But she never imagined them to change so suddenly just because of a relationship – Patricia being the most prominent. She had always been so nice. A bit odd at times, but she never thought the blonde could be so insensitive.

_What are we going to do? We can't just leave it at that, can we? Hiyori and Patricia should make up. They're friends!_

She sighed once more. There was little they could do. Taking Patricia's side on the matter earlier had put quite a noticeable strain on Yutaka and Minami's relationship with Hiyori. Later realizing that Hiyori's overreactions might not have been overreactions at all made for strained relations with Patricia as well. Their friends have stopped talking to them, and all of it was their fault…

As such dark thoughts began clouding Yutaka's mind, she quickly made attempts to clear her head, only succeeding when she heard a familiar voice call from downstairs.

"Yo, Yu-chan. I'm home!"

Konata was finally back from school. She had taken a lot longer to get back than Yutaka expected.

The door to Yutaka's room opened and Konata entered. "Hey, you okay yet? I got really worried when Minami texted me during fourth period that she was bringing you back home."

"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better" Yutaka chimed. "Turns out that I just ate some bad meat at the cafeteria. I just needed to get it out of my system."

Konata smiled and shook her head. "Really, though, I thought Minami always brought lunch for you?" She smile became a smirk "Speaking of her bringing lunch, you two have got to be the ones of our group who've kissed each other the most amount of times"

Yutaka blushed. "W-what?"

"You two share lunch boxes don't you? Indirect kisses galore!"

The redhead covered her cheeks with her palm, a neutral face barely masking the smile forming on her lips. "Th-thats… just…" She felt hot… and light headed…

Konata chuckled and walked up to Yutaka, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, come on, no need to be so embarrassed. Breathe, Yutaka." She said calmly. When Yutaka finally stopped feeling so dizzy, Konata continued. "Sorry about that. Didn't expect something like that to happen. Anyway, why didn't she bring you lunch?"

"She forgot."

Konata blinked. "Well, I didn't expect that either… huh, guess even stoic types are prone to air headed qualities…" She trailed off.

"Anyway, there anything else you need?" Konata asked "I'm gonna go change and start making dinner."

Yutaka looked at Konata and nodded. "I've actually been wondering about this since you entered but why are you so wet?" Indeed, the bluenette was forming a small puddle on the floor.

Konata sweatdropped. "Eh, long story…" She said, scratching her head. "I'll tell you during dinner."

As Konata moved the leave, Yutaka suddenly remembered something. "Oh, wait. Uncle Sojiro called. He said his client extended. He won't be home til later tonight"

Konata winced. "Damn it, Ms. Kuroi. This is the fifth time this month. You had better not have fallen in love with dad…" She muttered in annoyance.

Yutaka blinked. "What?"

"Nothing. Never mind. Gonna go change out of these clothes now." With that, Konata left, leaving a small puddle where she last stood and a trail of water leading to the door. After a few seconds, a Konata's voice called from behind the door. "I'll mop that in a bit, don't worry"

Yutaka said for the third time in as many minutes. She enjoyed being with her cousin. She always managed to make the redhead smile when she was feeling down. In any case, she at least always made life interesting. That alone made her great company.

"I wish I was more like Onee-chan…" Yutaka thought. "Or like Minami… or Kagami and Tsukasa senpai…" As she trailed off, a fourth and final sigh came and went.

**L** **UCKY STAR**

Misao arrived home, once again feeling more than a little upset. She didn't tire easily and she had a hardy constitution. She doubted she'd get sick. But still, she felt exhausted for some reason. It was just something that didn't sit well with her. What made things worse was getting upset about it seemed to tire her out even more, thus making her more upset.

As the vicious cycle continued in the background of Misao's mind, she opened the door and entered her house, quietly wishing that she could cause the water in her rain-soaked clothes and hair to instantaneously evaporate at will. A voice in her head, a voice that sounded surprisingly like Kagami's, then scolded her, saying she'd get severe burns if she did that. Misao removed her shoes, grumbling that she'd get that hypo-thera-whatsit thing if she didn't. The imaginary argument was ended when the voice simply suggested to just change into some dry clothes. The brunette paused right as she took her first step down hall, thinking to herself how utterly obvious that answer was.

She shook her head. _What am I doing? I'm hearing voices inside my head and I'm actually having conversations with them. Am I going crazy or am I just really tired?_ She asked. The voice in her head answered with a puzzling 'yes', leaving Misao completely unable to respond. _Whatever._

"Oi, Gramps!? Gran!? Masaru!?" Misao called.

"In here!"

A voice from the living room replied. It was Masaru's, sounding quite a bit less pained compared to yesterday or the day before. This made Misao feel surprisingly happy, or at least less upset. She poked her head into the living room.

Masaru did a double take when he saw her before scowling at her. "What happened to you? Did you jump off a bridge with your clothes on?" He asked mockingly before returning to his work

"I forgot my umbrella…" Misao said quietly.

On the floor, he sat, typing quietly on a laptop. Across the coffee table was a familiar face who Misao had not seen much as of late, also working on something on her laptop. Dark orange hair tied in a pony tail with bangs that reach just a little past her eyebrows. Kindhearted eyes that hid a paralyzing glare. And a smile that could terrify anyone under the right circumstances. Across the table was Ayano's sister, Akira Minegishi.

"Hello, Misao" Akira greeted. "Been a long time, hasn't it?"

Misao nodded. "Yeah. Really long time…" _The last time you were even here was… was when Ayano and Masaru started dating… wow… That can't be just a coincidence_. "So, what's up? Why are you here?"

"Just working on some stuff with Masaru over here." Answered as she typed away. "Remember that little collaborative project we started a few years back?"

"You mean that video game?"

"Yeah. We're trying to resume development."

Her curiosity piqued, Misao moved to sit down at the table with them, and perhaps ask more questions, only for Masaru to stop her mid stride.

"Oh, _dear sister_. I'd like to point out that you're still dripping wet." Masaru snapped, not taking his eyes off his screen. "Get out of here and come back when you're dry"

"Yeah, you're gonna catch a cold if you stay like that" Akira added.

Misao nodded. "Good point. See you guys in a bit." With that she walked out of the room.

As she stepped out of view she heard Akira's voice – a faint whisper. "Is it me, or does she seem less… energetic?"

"That little girlfriend of hers is starting to get to her. She's been arriving home looking like shit for the past month" Masaru muttered.

"Right, the _Hiiragi_ girl. Shoulda' known." Akira grumbled in disgust. "Still though, you're one to talk. You're not looking too good yourself."

"Well, you'll have your sister to thank for that." Masaru snapped. "She kicked me. Hard."

Akira growled "Yeah. She didn't say a single damn thing to me about it, either. Uhh, I'll fucking kill her for that…"

Misao tilted her head curiously as she took her first step up the stairs. Akira used to really like Kagami. Misao couldn't understand why Akira seemed so opposed to the her girlfriend. _I just don't get it…_ Then there was Ayano. What reason could there possibly be for her not to not tell anyone about how she kicked her boyfriend and broke his ribs? _… Actually, thinking about it, I probably wouldn't want to tell people that I broke my boyfriend's ribs by repeatedly kicking him either. It's kinda obvious now that I think about it._

She opened the door the her bedroom and began changing.

**LUCKY STAR**

Kagami arrived home completely drenched.

The commute home would probably be the most anxiety-ridden commute she would have ever experienced... if she had enough energy to feel self conscious.

She could feel the eyes staring at her and Misao on the train, silently judging her. She'd normally lose her mind fixating on those judging individuals but she was too tired to care. She supposed it was a good thing. Better she feel physically drained rather than emotionally drained.

She walked into the house, leaving little hallway puddles in her wake. Entering the kitchen, she found Tsukasa and her mother quietly talking as the rice cooker did its job.

Miki gave Kagami a once over, frowning at the water gathering at her feet. She sighed. "You two are certainly twins. Tsukasa was dripping wet when she arrived as well."

Kagami raised an eyebrow and looked at Tsukasa. Sure enough, her hair was still damp. Tsukasa smiled at her, embarrassed.

"Hey, uh… Onee-chan?" Kagami leaned in and Tsukasa whispered in her ear. "I saw you and Misao standing in the rain. I haven't told mom yet"

Kagami blushed. "You saw that?" She hissed. She then shook her head slowly, sighing. "Fine, you can tell her. She's gonna ask about it anyway."

Sure enough, Miki asked that question as soon as Kagami turned back to face her. "So, if you're done whispering, may I ask why you two were wet from the rain when you got here?" She glanced at Kagami and smirked. "Or still wet, in Kagami's case"

"Yeah… about that…" As the words formed in her head, she immediately drowned them out. The thought brought blood rushing to her cheeks. She couldn't say it aloud.

Kagami nudged her sister. Understanding her twin's meaning, Tsukasa answered for her. "Kagami was standing in the rain with Misao for some reason"

Miki looked confused. "What? Why?"

"I don't know."

Miki turned once more to Kagami who averted her eyes. "… Look, I don't know either. I just really wanted to, okay…?"

The mother nodded slowly before turning her attention to Tsukasa. "What about you?"

"I confessed to Konata and she accidentally let go of the umbrella" Tsukasa answered cheerfully.

The sound of something wet and heavy hitting the reached Kagami's ears. She noticed a weight had been lifted from her hands. She must have let go of her bag in surprise.

"You… confessed?" Kagami asked slowly.

"Yeah. I love Konata." The younger twin's smile was the largest Kagami had ever seen it.

"I… just… wow…"

_Why does it still hurt? Tsukasa and Konata had been dating for months. I've been dating Misao for just as long. How come it still hurts to hear that Tsukasa is in love with Konata?_ _I know I have feeling_ _s_ _for Konata as well but still, she and Tsukasa are together. This shouldn't bother me… at least not anymore…_

_Right…?_

"We can all talk about that later." Miki said "Go get changed. Once Inori and Tadao get here, we can have dinner"

Kagami felt relief wash over her. She had a sudden want to leave the room and her mother graciously gave her a chance to do so. At any rate, she was thankful for the sudden topic change.

"What about Matsuri?" She asked out of impulse, quietly cursing herself for not just agreeing and going upstairs.

Miki smiled. "She's on a date with her boyfriend. Don't mind her"

"I still can't believe she got a boyfriend."

"If I recall correctly, you said a few years ago that the last thing you wanted in life was a relationship. Look at you now" Miki said teasingly. Tsukasa giggled.

"M-mom!" Kagami blushed.

"Go on. You'll catch a cold in those soaked clothes."

"Yes, ma'am" Kagami sighed and left for her room. She turned back for one last glance. Miki gave her a knowing look. Kagami smiled. "Thanks, mom" she whispered before finally exiting the room.

**LUCKY STAR**

[LUUUUUCKKYYYY CHAAAANEL!]

[Hiya luckies! I am Akira Kogami, your navigator]

[And I am Minoru Shiraishi, the assistant]

[Oh, Minoru, this week has just been so depressing. The dark clouds and the rain.]

[Yeah. It's terrible isn't it? Stemming from that is even _more_ things that make you miserable - like the crowded trains and the traffic. Boy am I happy that I'm here in this studio with you. Compared to being out there, being in here is _way_ better]

[ _You make it sound like it's neither choice is preferable_ ]

[Well. If I'll be honest, I'd really want to be home right now and have a hot bath. Don't you agree, Ms Akira?]

[ _Oh… well…_ Yeah, I totally agree. I'm sure most of our listeners agree as well!]

[Most of you guys are either already home or really want to be home right about now. As such, here's our next song, _And I'm Home_ , the ending song of _Mahou Shojou Madoka Magica_ episode 8. Enjoy!]

~song begins playing~

[ _I have to admit, that was a smooth save back there_ ]

[Thanks, I-]

[ _Too bad the segue you used to talk about the music sucked._ ]

[Hey!]

~lyrics start~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, CM's Lucky Channel segments embarrass me so much. I could never capture the feelings evoked by OG Lucky Channel, so I used it as an excuse to name drop anime songs I liked. Excuse me while I slam my head into a desk.


	4. The Sky still Cries

Hiyori was really angry. She's been that way for the past week. Perhaps it was because, for the past five days, she spent all her time in the clubroom making a mess, generally wasting her time and resources by trying to draw but throwing away whatever she drew the moment she finished. If one were to pick up one of the crumpled pieces of paper – any one of them would do – they'd find that it was actually a rather nicely drawn and well endowed girl. If one were to pick up a different one – again, any would do – they'd find that it was _also_ a nicely drawn, well endowed girl. Rather, it's the same girl. Each and every drawing was always the same girl.

And that girl was Patricia Martin.

Hiyori didn't know why she kept drawing the blonde. She just drew and suddenly found that it was Patricia's face that was staring at her on the page which she then tore out of her sketchpad, crumpled up, and threw over her shoulder. She had wasted at three sketchpads doing that and was already well into using up a fourth.

Right as she realized who she was drawing, the raven haired girl glared at the paper. Rather than tearing out the page and crumpling it, she instead closed her sketchpad and violently chucked it forward, not noticing that someone was in her line of fire.

Said someone was Ko Yasaka, whose quick reflexes allowed her to duck under the projectile pad of papers. It spun wildly over her before hitting the blackboard on the other side of the class room. Ko stood and stared at the pad as it slide down the board and fell to the floor before turning to Hiyori and giving her a look.

Catching herself, Hiyori quickly bowed and apologized,. "I'm sorry, Ko-senpai!"

Ko slowly shook her head. "Geez, Tamura, try to be more mindful of your surroundings and junk like that."

"I'm _really_ sorry"

"Whatever, it's fine." Ko sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "It's time to lock up. You're gonna have to pick up all this paper." She said, gesturing at the crumpled papers on the floor.

"Right… Gotcha"

As the two got to work picking up the pieces of crumpled paper, Ko started talking. "You know, you've gotta learn some other form of venting other than drawing because at the rate you're going, you're gonna clean the earth of trees with how much paper you're using up." She said, half jokingly, half seriously.

"I'm _sorry_ , alright?" Hiyori said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm just… really out of it… Been out of it for a while…"

"Yeah, we could tell…" Ko muttered. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke back up. "Wanna talk about it?"

Hiyori gave her a look. "Senpai…"

"Hey, just a suggestion." The blonde said innocently, hands raised in surrender. "Not like it's bad to talk about that stuff" She then muttered after, "whatever that stuff is…"

Hiyori frowned as she gathered up the last of the papers and dumped them to the nearby trash bin, filling it completely. She then glared at Ko. "You know what? Fine, let's talk"

Ko gave an involuntary gulp as the raven haired glasses girl picked up her bag and walked out the room. She had the impression that Hiyori wanted her to follow. So follow she did, picking up her own bag and tailing Hiyori.

**LUCKY STAR**

The walk to the train station was quiet and not exactly enjoyable. The sky above was still very much a thick blanket of clouds threatening to release the water they held, which only worsened the fact that Tsukasa and company were so tense they could snap at any moment.

Of course, the streets were pretty much empty. After two straight days of constant drizzle and an entire week of overcast skies, people weren't inclined to be outside at all. Most people take the bus to the station instead of braving the possibility of rain, umbrella in hand.

It is pretty much obvious that Tsukasa and company were of the latter category. Kagami had an automatic umbrella hanging from her wrist by a strap, while Tsukasa kept her own in her bag. As for Konata and Misao, they didn't seem to have one – though it's very likely that they wouldn't care if they got rained on anyway.

Kagami walked up front, not even looking back since they left the school gates. Konata straddled at the back, with barely any presence – a far cry from her normally attention grabbing personality. And Tsukasa and Misao walked, in between the two, quietly loathing the tension they were in.

What else could they do? They were in the middle of the streets and, as empty as they seemed, they'd still cause a scene if they tried to address the situation at hand. Konata and Misao probably wouldn't care about causing a scene but the two Hiiragis sure did.

"Hey… Imouto" Misao whispered. "What do you think's wrong?"

Tsukasa frowned "This is all my fault…"

"What are you talking about?" Misao asked, raising an eyebrow.

Looking towards Kagami, looking back at Konata, and then returning her gaze Misao, Tsukasa gave a pained smile. "I sorta confessed to Konata last Wednesday…"

"Wha…?" Misao tilted her head curiously. "Aren't you already dating? Like, for three months now?"

"Ehe?" Tsukasa giggled in embarrassment. "Well, I know how Kagami didn't admit that she likes you until just a few months ago?"

"Yeah…" Comprehension soon dawned on the brunette's face. "So… it's the same with you?"

Tsukasa nodded in reply. "I confessed to Konata… and I told sis about it not long after."

"Huh. So _that's_ why those two are acting like that…" Misao muttered. "I don't like it…"

"Me neither." The younger twin shook her head. "If I knew this would happen, I might have never confessed in the first place."

The brunette stopped abruptly and looked Tsukasa in the eyes. "Imouto, I don't ever what to hear those words from you ever again" She said seriously.

Tsukasa blinked at Misao in confusion.

"Do you regret confessing?" the brunette asked

Tsukasa didn't move. She didn't answer. Really, what could she say that she wouldn't just immediately retract? She needed more time to answer that question. Of course, the thought came to her that if she _really_ didn't regret it, the answer would most definitely be _'no, she didn't regret it'_. Yet there she was, agonizing over her answer. Tsukasa bit her lip and looked down.

Misao on the other hand, kept her unyeilding gaze upon Tsukasa. A weird sense of pride welled up inside her for some reason. Perhaps a few months ago, her very same gaze would send Tsukasa into a fit of blushing and averted eyes. Now, she seemed to hold her ground, at least more than she used to.

Then again, she looked far from the picture of confidence, with a frown on her face and a down turned gaze. What Misao was doing was obviously upsetting Tsukasa. The guilt gnawed at the brunette, but she kept up her stare. Only when Konata intervened did Misao finally relent.

The bluenette stood between the two and gave Misao a stoic stare. "Stop that" She said flatly.

Misao looked away. "Right… sorry. Didn't think that through…" She said, scratching her head.

Far in front, Kagami simply looked on and said nothing. The others didn't know what she was feeling, but Tsukasa did…

**LUCKY STAR**

Minami and Yutaka walked the school halls with a sense of purpose. That said, they still looked like they had absolutely no idea where they were going. An explanation is probably in order.

For the past two days, Minami and Yutaka have been trying – and failing – to get Hiyori and Patricia to reconcile. Hiyori seemed a bit more open to the possibility of apologizing, provided that Patricia be the one to apologize first, which the two considered to be great progress compared to before. Unfortunately, they met a large stumbling block in their self appointed mission when they went to talk to Patricia. She was avoiding them.

Yes, the American exchange student was avoiding the two and no matter what Minami and Yutaka tried, Patricia always seemed to leave the room or hallway the moment they were in sight. They had to resort to increasingly questionable interception and capture tactics in order to even catch a glimpse of the blonde. That said, it was only their second day in pursuit and the guilt was already starting to eat them alive.

"It doesn't feel like we're trying to help them become friends again" Yutaka said quietly. "It feels like we're trying to hunt her down and kill her…"

Minami raised an eyebrow at the analogy. It was a bit extreme to hear such a thing considering it came out of Yutaka's mouth. She made it a point to tell the red head. "That comparison sounds a little morbid, Yutaka"

"Eh… yeah I guess you're right…" Yutaka shook her head. "But it's how it feels to me. We shouldn't have to do this, Minami"

The stoic nodded. She's right. They _shouldn't_ have to do this. They weren't the border patrol chasing down an illegal immigrant, they were two high school girls who wanted to talk to their friend. All this predator-prey stuff had to stop.

Of course, it would only stop when Patricia decides she wass no longer a fugitive on the run from her two captors. Whatever her reason was for believing that was the case, Minami didn't know. Quite frankly, she didn't even care. She just wanted it to stop so they all could finally talk things through

"C'mon, I think she went this way" Minami said, turning left at the next juncture.

It seemed like it wouldn't stop any time soon…

**LUCKY STAR**

As the train doors opened, Konata and Misao stepped off, leaving Kagami and Tsukasa on the train. Once again, the two Hiiragis were left alone with each other after their respective girlfriends dropped off at their stop. They both still dislike how their own stop was still some ways off.

Tsukasa stood next to Kagami, whose grip on the railing remained tight. The older twin wouldn't meet Tsukasa's eyes. She wouldn't reply when the younger tried to speak to her. Tsukasa quite easily gave up trying. She knew if she kept kept at it, she'd just cause a scene. Like Kagami, Tsukasa didn't want that. So, instead, they opted to wait until they were off the train.

Eventually, they reached their stop and stepped off. What came after was a few more minutes of quiet walking. The sky didn't help in making the silence any less tense – the blanket of white and gray only seemed to make their walk feel more oppressive.

Finally, they reached the street where they knew they could begin talking with no one overhearing – everyone who lived on that street was either at work or still in school. So they talked.

Tsukasa was the first to speak. "Um… Kagami…"

"I'm sorry" Kagami said suddenly.

" _I'm sorry_?" Tsukasa repeated with a confused tilt of her head.

"I'm sorry, just…" Kagami looked at Tsukasa, frowning. "Tsukasa, my feelings for Konata don't matter. You told Konata that you love her and I honestly think Konata loves you back. I don't have a say on what should happen… Just… just forget about me…"

"But… I don't want to hurt you, sis…"

Kagami chuckled. "Like I said, my feelings don't matter. You and Konata should be happy. Who cares about me? Don't let me be the reason for you to hold back."

Tsukasa frowned. "But… _I_ care…" She whispered. "And Misao cares… and Konata cares… We _all_ care…" She continued, voice growing louder. "And I'm not holding back. Why are you?"

Kagami scowled. "What are you even talking about?" She asked harshly. "And you should _stop_ caring. You should _all_ stop caring. I mean, the only reason Konata hasn't returned your feelings is because she knows I still like her! She should just ignore me and be happy – be happy with you!"

"Kagami… Kagami, you don't understand…" Tsukasa's voice was soft and pained. Kagami truly didn't understand, and the act of telling her the truth would probably hurt more than the just knowing it…

"Well, what!? What don't I understand!?"

Even as she said those words, the sky began to fall. Rain drops hit the ground in a small trickle.

Tsukasa took a deep breath and answered. "Konata's only holding back because she has feelings for you too!" As those words left her mouth, a certain pain seemed to pulse from her heart.

The stunned silence afterward slowly grew awkward. The only sound was the soft pitter-patter of rain yet the lack of words said more than what was needed. That one sentence caused a chain reaction in the minds of both girls. Whether it resulted in an emotional break down of one, the other, both, or neither was up in the air. They simply stood and said nothing.

Even after a few minutes, the only peep to be made was an "Oh" from Kagami.

" _Oh_?" Tsukasa repeated. "This isn't the first time something like this happened, Kagami. Konata said the same exact thing to you, all those months ago…"

As the drizzle grew stronger, Kagami couldn't help but remember the first day of classes since summer ended. She and Konata had shared an umbrella as they walked to the station. And as they walked, they started arguing – screaming at each other until they were eventually crying on the sidewalk, getting drenched in the rain.

" _Then forget about me! If I'm the one going between you two then take me out of your life! Be happy with her!_ "

Konata's words echoed in Kagami's head. And her reply echoed even louder

" _But I don't want you out of my life!_ " _Kagami had said, sobbing hopelessly on her knees._

As the memories came back to her, the pony tailed girl couldn't help but sink back down to her knees once more.

"She wants you in her life, Kagami" Tsukasa said. "And I want you in it too…"

"But… wouldn't it be easier…?" Kagami asked, almost desperately "It would be easier if you all just ignored me, right?"

"Do you know what I felt when I found out Konata said what she said to you?" Tsukasa asked, eyes uncharacteristically cold. "It hurt. It hurt so much that I can't even describe it." She knelt in front of Kagami and looked her in the eyes. "Kagami, I had a feeling you'd do something like this. And if _I_ felt it, I'm sure Misao felt it too. It _hurts_ , Kagami, knowing the one you love is willing to ignore their own feelings for someone else's happiness. I felt it when I found out about Konata and Misao felt it when she found out about my confession…"

Kagami clenched her fists and broke eye contact, opting to look at the rain drops splattering on the ground.

Tsukasa leaned forward and embraced Kagami. "You know why Misao got angry at me? I was almost willing to deny my own feelings, just for you. I only just now figured how much doing that would hurt you. _Would_ it hurt you?"

"… y-yeah, actually. It would" Kagami said, chocking back a sob. "I'm sorry… just… I… I don't even know anymore… I'm messed up…"

They stayed like that for a while but eventually, the rain began to pick up. Kagami rubbed the tears and rain out of her face and brought out her umbrella. With a click, the canopy opened and they were protected from the rain.

The twins stood, the younger putting her hand on the older's shoulder. "Kagami, we're not done…" Tsukasa said sadly. "But I guess it can wait til we get home. The rain's getting stronger"

"R-right…" Kagami breathed, not quite recovered from her emotional outburst.

"Don't worry, I'm still here. I'll be with you all the way home." The younger twin said reassuringly. It seemed to help.

As they picked up their bags and dusted themselves off, a thought came to Kagami. "Remember the first day of classes after summer when it rained?" She asked quietly "Miyuki said she didn't bring an umbrella but later that day when she caught me and Konata in the rain, she had an umbrella with her…"

Tsukasa smiled. "I wonder where she got it"

The younger twin was happy for the change in topic. If anything, at least she knew the older twin would be able to get home with no further breakdowns – considering she was able to go off on a random tangent, Tsukasa sure _hoped_ she would be okay…

**LUCKY STAR**

"So… Chibi…"

As Konata and Misao went for a light jog on the way home, they spoke for what seemed like a long time. So long, in fact that they had to stop and find some cover as a drizzle started up again for the third time that day – and it didn't seem like it would stop this time, either.

"Chibi… what do you do when you feel tired…?" Misao asked. "I'm almost never tired so I don't know…"

"Huh, I noticed you didn't have as much energy as you used to… And I don't know. Different people deal with it in different ways. I normally just ignore it when I feel tired…" Konata replied from right next to Misao on the bus stop bench they sat upon, grateful that they were near home and could just book it if the rain got stronger.

There was a pause.

"Um… Konata…?"

Konata turned to Misao and tilted her head curiously "Yeah, Misao?"

"I'm sorry about earlier…" Misao said quietly. "It just made me so angry, what Imouto said…"

The bluenette frowned. "I get the feeling that I know what she said… This is about Kagami, right?"

"When isn't it?" Misao smiled wryly. "For the past five months, she's been the biggest problem in my life. To be honest, if I didn't love her, I'd probably have just left her." She gave a bitter laugh. "But, the thing is, I _do_ love her. I love her so much it hurts"

Konata chuckled. "Yeah, she's a handful – a lot more with you than she ever was with me." She turned to look at the scenery – the dull concrete made wet by the droplets of water falling down from the heavens. "She's a lot more open with you, that's for sure…" She added wistfully.

Misao joined Konata, staring at the world outside their dry island as well. "You still like her, right?" The brunette asked.

After some time, the shorter girl answered. "Yeah…" She blinked and glanced at Misao, surprised. "But… I don't remember telling you that…"

"No, you didn't. Tsukasa did." The fanged girl said. "You should've, though. After all, I was the one who told you about Kagami liking you back." She added with a smirk.

Konata chuckled once more. "I guess you did." She returned her gaze to the rain. "You know, it'd be so much easier if these old feelings just went away. You could be happy with Kagami, I could be happy with Tsukasa, then we could all get married and have beautiful science babies together – and you and me would be sister-in-laws."

"Ah, wouldn't that be something" Misao laughed – happy, yet somewhat bitter. It was wishful thinking she knew wouldn't come true. It was _never_ that easy. Besides, she didn't exactly agree with it completely. "Don't just wish away your feelings like that. It's thinking like yours that'll hurt Tsukasa. Kagami too, now that I think about it." She smirked "And sure as hell, it'd hurt me."

Konata smiled and shook her head slowly. "Yeah, I know. I just wonder sometimes…"

A silence settled between the two. While Konata was completely fine with sitting quietly with a friend, Misao felt restless when she was just sitting still with nothing to talk about. Sensing the taller girl's discomfort, Konata decided to start up another topic for conversation, or at least continue a previous one.

"Yo, Misakichi." Konata began. "I think Tsukasa told you already but she confessed to me the other day…"

"Yeah. Took her five months." Misao chuckled. "So, what are you gonna tell her?"

"… I don't know yet…"

Misao gave her a look. "Seriously? I remember a lot Kagami's rants for the past two years involved you bringing up the topic of love and your 'twisted otaku' spin on it"

Konata winced. "Yeah, anime and manga don't normally give a good example of what love is. Even worse is the dating sims since it tries to give a number to the girl's affection levels." She said, scratching her head and smiling. "In real life, I really don't have a clue about love, to be honest."

"That still doesn't answer my question. You gonna return her love or not? You're not gonna make her wait like Kagami did with me, will you?"

Konata winced again. "I still can't believe you stayed with her long enough for her to start loving you back." The bluenette sighed. "I want to say yes, Misao. I want to tell Tsukasa that I love her too… but… something's holding me back. You know exactly who it is."

Misao slowly rubbed her temples. "I'm getting real sick of all this 'someone else' bullshit. I had enough of it from Kagami." The frustration in her voice was obvious. "You're in love with Kagami. So what? You're with Tsukasa, and you obviously have feelings for her too. Why _don't_ you just say yes?"

"I don't know…"

Another silence settled between the two. As they watched life in world outside their little box continue on, Misao spoke again.

"I'm guessing that's the reason you were so antsy around Kagami earlier, right? The whole confession thing? Eh, can't blame you. Kagami doesn't seem too happy about all this either. I doubt anyone here could be happy with Kagami acting all mopey…" Misao sighed. "When do you think she'll finally go back to normal?"

"If by that, do you mean 'when will she stop acting like an _Evangelion_ character'?" Konata asked with a smirk. She shook her head and chuckled. "Heh, I have no clue…"

"Evangelion?"

"Eh, just another anime. You should definitely watch it. The ending is a bit weird though."

Misao chuckled as well. "It's been a long time since I last heard an anime reference from you. It's kinda refreshing hearing one again"

"Yeah. Haven't been in the mood for anime in a long time. After a while, everything just sorta feels the same, you know?"

Misao stared at Konata. "No, actually. I don't…" She said, scratching her head.

"Have you ever eaten so much of the same thing over the course of a few years that you end up not liking it anymore?" Konata asked.

Misao grinned. It was a topic she could relate to "A few years? How 'bout a few hours. Give me any one food that you could get in bulk at the supermarket and I would buy it. I'd eat all of it in a day, and by the end, I'd never want to eat it ever again."

Konata snickered. "It's not exactly like that but…" Once she calm down, she sighed. "Anime is starting to get stale for me… None of the action or the romances seem all that appealing anymore. Haruhi knows I've had enough drama in real life. I don't really need more of it in my anime… The only shows I seem to like watching these days are the feel-good slice of life anime…"

Misao tilted her head curiously. "What, like… _K-on!_ and _A-Channel_?"

"Yeah, like those shows" The bluenette grinned "I'm surprised you know about them."

"Well, my brother sometimes just leaves the TV on random channels when he's on kitchen duty. Most of the time it's some documentary on the science channel, or news, but other times it's anime." Misao said. "Those two came up a couple times. I'll be honest, they seem a bit boring. Hardly anything happens."

"And that's the beauty of it, my fanged friend." Konata stood and put her hand over her heart. "It's just a couple highschool girls hanging out and being cute together. It's like us but without all the drama and problems that real life throws our way. It's about the friendship of these characters and the bond they share as they live their highschool lives together"

Misao couldn't help but smile. "It's the kind of thing that makes you really appreciate the friendship you have with your own friends, doesn't it?"

"Exactly. Highschool doesn't last forever. We're gonna have college entrance exams in a few months. After that, finals. By April, next year, all of us will be attending different colleges. We won't be all together anymore once highschool ends, no matter how much we want to be. And every time a slice of life anime ends with them graduating, I just can't help but wonder… What'll happens to us?" She chuckled. " _K-on!_ even managed to make me curl up into a ball and cry for a few hours…"

Konata sighed. "I love all of you guys… and… well… the fact that I'm a senior is finally catching up to me… I'm gonna miss you when you're gone…"

Misao frowned and grit her teeth "Geez, you're gonna make _me_ cry at this rate…" She sighed as well. "At least we'll still be friends, right?"

Konata smiled and took at deep breath. Misao grew wide eyed. She was about to sing

_~Even if we are to part  
We have our angel in our hearts  
This new start of life, doesn't mean it's the end  
Because we will be best friends for all of time  
If you say 'I love you lots'  
I'll say I love you twice as much  
There's no reason for me to ever forget  
We will still be together til forever~_

"I still can't get over your singing voice." Misao muttered. "That was beautiful"

Konata rubbed the tears from out of her eyes. "Thanks. Just really needed to get that out." She grinned, eyes still a bit watery. "That was actually from _K-on!…_ "

"Holy crap, they played music? I thought they just had tea and ate sweets all the time"

Konata sweatdropped. "Yeah, people tend to get that impression…"

Misao stood and looked outside their dry island once more. "Looks like the rain's picking up. We should get going."

"Good idea." Konata said, picking up her back.

Right as the bluenette was about to run full tilt into the rain, Misao grabbed her shoulder "Oi, not so fast, short stuff. You still haven't answered my question. Are you going to tell Imouto you like her back?"

Konata smiled wryly. " _Of course_ you remembered. I was hoping you'd forget about it, to be honest…"

"You know, this could easily be solved by just answering _yes_ , right?"

"Yeah, I know, just… I'm confused, Misao. I need some time to get my mind in order. By this time next week, I promise, I'd have made my decision." Konata said, claping her hands together and bowing.

"Alright, a week. At least that's a heck of a lot shorter than how long it took Kagami" Misao said, chuckling. "Well, c'mon. We need to get home and the rain doesn't seem like it's gonna stop any time soon"

They charged into the rain, right as as it suddenly started to pour.

"It wouldn't be this strong if you didn't stop me earlier!" Konata yelled.

"It wouldn't be this strong if you didn't have a ten minute spiel about anime!" Misao replied "Now shut it and run!"

**LUCKY STAR**

The walk to the station was a quiet one. Minami and Yutaka were unfortunately unable to catch Patricia. Despite all their efforts in the latter half of the week, things were not going to be resolved any time soon.

"Maybe we should just stop trying?" Yutaka wondered. "Maybe if we let things run its course, everything will go back to normal?"

Indeed, she wanted to stop. She didn't like chasing Patricia all over the school like she was a wanted criminal and she knew Minami didn't want to force her to talk to get an answer out of her. Aside from that, the fact that all their efforts in the past two days were all of nothing made her very uninclined to keep at it. Whether Minami was of the same boat, she wasn't sure.

A small drop of water landed on Yutaka's nose, prompting her to look skyward. Several drops were falling from the sky and countless more were following them. It was starting to rain. Seeing that, Minami brought out a folding umbrella from her bag, giving both herself and Yutaka some much needed overhead cover.

"Thank you, Minami" Yutaka said quietly, to which Minami replied with a simple nod.

Yutaka noticed something weird. Minami felt distant – more so than usual. A certain rift seems to have formed between them and Yutaka was not sure if she'd be able to bridge it like she did when they first met. Something must have happened to close her off. But what was it?

"Minami, is something wrong?" Yutaka asked. The mint haired girl shook her head. "No."

Yutaka frowned. _She's lying…_ She noted.

The two continued walking in silence.

 _Why is Minami so closed off today? Why was she so closed of this whole week? I wonder…_ Yutaka glanced at Minami. She seemed deep in thought. _What's she thinking of…?_ A few short seconds of observation revealed very little as to what it was exactly, but there were enough broad strokes to know _some_ things.

It was something pertaining to Yutaka since Minami wouldn't make eye contact. Her head was somewhat lowered and her face more serious than it normally was, meaning it was likely to be something she disliked. And her movements were stiff and mechanical so she obviously didn't want Yutaka to know what she was thinking.

 _That's just silly. The more she tries to hide it, the easier it is to notice._ Yutaka thought.

"What are you thinking of?"

"Nothing"

"You're lying" The shorter girl said flatly.

Minami stopped walking and blinked. Yutaka watched as the taller girl subtly winced at her perceptiveness. Curiously, Minami still kept up the act.

"It's nothing" Minami said once more, only in a more convincing manner.

Yutaka lowered. her head, puzzled. _Is she still thinking about it? I can't tell_ _what it is at all_ _…_ She thought. _Why does she want to hide it from me so much?_

"Minami, please tell me…"

The stoic frowned and thought for a bit before answering. "I will, soon. Now's not the time" She said cryptically.

"But when _will_ it be the time?"

"Well…" Minami's trailed off and before she could finish, something else was brought to her attention. "Nee-san"

Yutaka moved her gaze to where Minami was looking to see Miyuki turn to face them. "Oh, hello, Minami, Yutaka" She greeted.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Miyuki joined the two on their walk to the station.

"Yes, I was at the student council office. We had a meeting about what the clubs and classes were and were not allowed to do here at school during winter break." Miyuki recounted. "It was a long meeting. It seemed like much of the class and club representatives had varying ideas of what they'd like to do. We had, at one point, a person who wanted to have fireworks on the roof on New Years."

Yutaka tilted her head curiously. "Did you let them?"

"Of course not. They were suggesting actual fireworks – the kind that explode in the air. That's much too dangerous for students to do, at least while on the school grounds without adult supervision. We prohibited it"

Yutaka nodded, somewhat disappointed. She had fallen asleep with Minami when they went to see fireworks during the summer festival. She really wanted to see fireworks in the sky with her own eyes.

She glanced at Minami. She was still deep in though. She glanced at Miyuki who seemed to have also noticed Minami's disposition.

"I take it that you're struggling with something?" Miyuki asked nonchalantly. Minami nodded. "Is it something you want to talk about?" Minami glanced at Yutaka there returned her gaze to Miyuki. She shook her head. "Ah, okay. Very well, I won't pry"

Yutaka watched the exchange with some frustration. They were keeping secrets and it seems they were secrets that involved Yutaka.

 _Don't they trust me anymore?_ She wondered. _Hmm, maybe it's something that'll hurt me if I find out? There are things I'd rather not know about. Maybe their secret is something like that?_

As Yutaka rationalized that in her head, the two step sisters were having another silent conversation.

Minami looked at Miyuki and raised and eyebrow. _Did you find anything out?_

She nodded but smiled apologetically. _Not anything useful…_

Minami winced then sighed. _I suppose I should have expected that…_

Miyuki gave her and encouraging smile. _Look at the bright side, Minami_

Minami looked at Miyuki skeptically. _What bright side?_

The pinkette sweatdropped. _What indeed…_

In between them, Yutaka seemed to have come to a conclusion that made her happy. _She's so obvious…_ They noted as the red head beamed to herself, shaking her fists cheerfully.

And so they arrived at the station right as it began to rain.

**LUCKY STAR**

Hiyori felt a bit of dejavu. She and Ko sat together on the playground swing set while Hiyori poured her heart out. Ko listened attentively – as if she found the whole thing completely engrossing. When the raven haired girl finished, a certain silence fell upon them. It was soft and not very oppressive – it almost felt comfortable, even. Perhaps Hiyori just needed to get all that out?

Ko frowned, deep in thought. "Hey, Tamura, do you wanna know what I think?"

Hiyori recoiled. She had a feeling she knew what Ko was going to say. "You think I'm overreacting, don't you…?" She asked quietly.

Ko smiled apologetically. "Kinda"

Hiyori stood, picked up her bag and began walking away.

"Hey, wait up, Tamura!" Ko got up and followed. "Where are you going?"

"Home"

"Right, I'll join you"

Hiyori stopped and looked at Ko straight in the eye. "No you won't." Then she continued forward

 _Why is it that every time I tell people what happened, they think I'm overreacting!? It's not like I exaggerate how things happened… At least it doesn't_ feel _like I exaggerated them…_

Hiyori frowned and looked back, cringing at the fact that Ko was walking right behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Walking home with you" Ko replied casually.

Hiyori twitched. _Does_ _n't_ _she know how to_ _take a hint_ _?_ _Oh, that's right. She's an_ _idiot_ _air head_ _. I need to be more direct._ She thought harshly, which she then translated into words of equal harshness. "Idiot, stay away from me."

"Hey, watch your mouth, kohai" Ko said, voice annoyed. "Some respect would be appreciated"

Hiyori grit her teeth. "I'll give you your respect once you give me mine. So respect my wishes and leave me alone"

"I can't do that"

"… And why not?"

Ko pointed beyond Hiyori. "Because Patricia's coming this way and I don't want to leave you alone with her"

Hiyori blinked and turned around. Sure enough, the American was walking towards them, engrossed in what looked to be a piece of paper. When she stopped in front of them, she simply stood silently. Hiyori averted her eyes, unsure of how to react. Ko looked between the two, a bit curious but not all together worried.

As a moment of silence fell upon them, Hiyori started to feel starved for air. _Looks like Patricia can still make my heart race, only this time, it_ _doesn't feel_ _nice_ _…_ She noted.

Patricia presented Hiyori a letter. "Did you receive one of these as well?" She asked curtly.

Hesitantly, the manga artist took the letter and read it. Her face immediately soured. _This is… this is anonymous hate mail…_ The paper read a number of colorful insults addressed to what seemed like anyone who was or is a girl who dates or dated other girls. _Homophobic anonymous hate mail… well, I suppose we'd end up getting some eventually. It's not like this is a yuri manga where the entire world is all-accepting of_ _lesbian_ _relationships… but still…_

"Who sent you this?"

"That's what _I'd_ like to know" Patricia said angrily. She swiped the letter from Hiyori's hands and began walking away "Whatever. I've had a bad enough day with your two hunting dogs chasing me during break. And even now that they've left me alone, I suddenly get _this_." She said, raising the letter to eye level. She stopped and turned back. "Speaking of your hunting dogs, call them off. Whatever you want with me, I don't want to do it."

Hiyori blinked. "What are you talking about?" She asked, legitimately confused.

Patricia looked at the raven haired girl skeptically. "Kobayakawa and Iwasaki have been tailing me since yesterday. Are you telling me you had no involvement in that?"

"Actually… I don't?"

The blonde looked thoughtful for a bit "Huh, guess I just… sorry for assuming, I guess…" She muttered.

Hiyori thought back to that past week. For the first three days, she had been too upset to deal with Yutaka and Minami. Looking at them made Hiyori sick – which she found quite ironic considering how much she used to gush about them. On Thursday, they talked for a bit and they said sorry to her. Happy to see that they finally saw her situation the way she herself saw it, Hiyori easily forgave them. Of course, they still tried to convince her to make up with Patricia. She put up a little bit of resistance but ultimately agreed. She wouldn't admit it, but pretending the blonde doesn't exist only seemed to be stressing the raven haired girl even more. So she agreed.

_They said yesterday that they'd take care of it… I'm guessing Patricia's been avoiding them every time they try to come near her… Uhhhhg, she's like that one character that makes everything so much harder than it needs to be!_

_Fine._ _Yu-chan and Minami-chan just wanted us to make up and now she's right in front of me._ _I'll just take out the middle man_ _and work on it myself_ _._

"Patricia, I'm sorry…"

The American frowned. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I want all this to stop. I know we had a really bad break up but… We were once friends weren't we? Can't we at least go back to being that?" Hiyori looked at the blonde with an apologetic smiled. "C'mon, don't you want that too?"

Patricia sighed "Yeah, actually I do…" She looked away. "But some things came up. I need some time alone for a bit. Maybe after it all blows over, you me and the two perfect love birds could hang out some time."

Hiyori smiled. "…Yeah… I'd like that…"

Patricia smiled back before turning away once more. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." She shook her head. "To be honest, I still don't know what I did wrong. I'm not good at this sort of thing at all. I mean… I always get the bad end in eroge and dating sims. Maybe that applies to real life too…?" She shook her head once more. "I don't know…" With that, she began walking away.

Once Patricia was some ways away, Hiyori released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Ko said encouragingly.

"Yeah, it was easier than I thought it would be but… But why does it feel like I'm still the one in the wrong?" Hiyori sighed. "Maybe I'm like Patricia. She won't get her happy end, so maybe I won't get mine either…?"

"Hey, don't think like that. Just try again. That's the only way it'll work out." Ko said. "Besides, you could always choose a different heroine, right?" Then she added in a mutter. "Or hero, if that's your cup of tea."

Hiyori chuckled. "Maybe I will. Who knows, I might like guys more than girls…"

She felt a drop of rain hit her head.

"Looks like it's gonna rain." Ko commented. "We should be off. The rain ain't gonna wait for us to be out of it before it starts" She suddenly took the manga artist's hand and began dragging her to the station. "Oh come on, Tamura, I know that moment was heartfelt and all that but if you don't start walking, I'm gonna leave you here. How would you like the replay that scene in your head while drenched in rain water?"

"R-right… Sorry, Ko-senpai."

"Now _there's_ the respect I wanted. Now, move it, Tamura!"

Hiyori shook her head and began walking, a small smile on her face. She was astonished but the smile felt real. _Well, this is certainly_ _surprising_ _…_ she thought, enjoying the feeling of joy she was experiencing. She picked up her pace to match Ko's

**LUCKY STAR**

Ayano arrived home right as it started raining. She was lucky that she got home when she did. She didn't have an umbrella despite it raining a lot in the past few days. It was mostly carelessness on her part. Her umbrella was in her bag the day before but she removed it when she packed her books for the day that morning. She just forgot to put it back.

She sighed as she removed her shoes and walked inside. "I'm home!" She called

"Oi, sister! In here" Akira called from the kitchen

Ayano winced. She was about to get another lecture. She got one yesterday night during dinner and she got one two days ago. She was sure that she was gonna get another one shortly.

"Yes, _Nee-san_?" Ayano growled as she entered the room.

"You still haven't answered my question. You keep stalling." Akira said from the table. "Why'd you break his ribs?"

She knew it. She knew she'd get called out on it again. She said sorry. She regretted it. She knew it was a terrible thing to do and was wracked with guilt about it for the past few weeks. Misao was enough of a reminder considering how similar she looked to Masaru. She didn't need another one to cause her more stress.

"I don't know…" Ayano said.

"Yes you do." Akira said coldly. "Let me recount what happened _again_. Hiiragi and Kusakabe were having an intimate moment and your ass of an ex-boyfriend decided to butt in. He said some words that made your oh so precious Misa-chan upset and you started mercilessly kicking him. Tell me, why did you go that far? Yeah, he deserved the slap you gave him. But the kicks to the side? Why were you so angry?"

Ayano frowned. "I don't know…" She repeated a bit louder.

Akira frowned as well. "Fine, be like that. Until you start telling the truth, I'll just keep asking – no matter _how_ long it takes" She said harshly. "Now go upstairs and change. You're in charge of making dinner today."

Ayano nodded and exited the kitchen, feeling considerably more upset than she did when she entered. "Damn you…" She muttered. "Why are you doing this…?" She started up the stairs, climbing up the steps to her bedroom.

**LUCKY STAR**

[LUCKY CHANNEL!]

[Hiya, luckies! I am Akira Kogami]

[and I am Minoru Shiraishi. We will be your navigators]

[Hey Minoru, you wanna know what I hate?]

[I have a bad feeling about this…]

[ _I HATE THIS FREAKIN' RAIN!_ ]

[Okay, fair enough. It's been troublesome lately.]

[ _TROUBLESOME_ _? Troublesome is_ _when there isn't any hot water for a bath and you have to boil it from a kettle. This rain is making the act of just getting around a god damn nightmare for someone like me!_ ]

[I take it that you're not doing too well with the crowded trains?]

[ _I'm a hundred_ _fifty_ _centimeters!_ _Of course I'd be pissed about the crowds. It's like I'm surrounded by freakin giants!_ ]

[Speaking of giants, it's time to bring out the swords and 3D maneuver gear. Here's _Wings of Freedom_ , the second OP of _Attack on Titan_. Enjoy]

[ _Oh you god damn bitch! Don't you dare cut me off_ _with your terrible segue_ _. I'm on a roll here! I-_ ]

~music start~

**LUCKY STAR**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes. I remember mid 2015 quite vividly. It was the summer I binge-watched the first season Attack on Titan. Good times.


	5. An Overcast Calm

Konata decided to take Miyuki outside the clasroom during lunch to speak with her, leaving Tsukasa with Kagami, Misao, and Ayano – which she was totally okay with. After two years of minimal interaction with the two from 3-C, Tsukasa welcomed the chance to reconnect.

"Wow, your hair is so soft, Misao" Kagami commented. "It's silky and smooth"

Misao, along with Kagami, had finished their meals in mere minutes and were boredly lazing around, waiting for Tsukasa and Ayano to finish. And as they waited, Kagami started stroking Misao's hair.

"Really?" The brunette ran her hand through her hair. "I don't notice."

Tsukasa stroked her own hair, noting how her fingers got caught in it. She frowned and sighed. "I wish _my_ hair was that soft…"

"Oh, don't worry about that, imouto" Misao said with a grin. "Maybe if you brush your hair a bit, it'll be just as smooth as Kagami's"

"I have a hair brush in my bag" Ayano said helpfully.

Misao stood and winked at Tsukasa. "Be right back." She then bolted out the room.

Tsukasa watched the brunette leave and then turned to Kagami curiously. "Is your hair really that smooth?"

Kagami blushed. "Uh… yeah…" She answered awkwardly. Ayano giggled and Kagami's blush deepened. "I believe Ayano and Misao have first hand knowledge…"

Tsukasa tilted her head in confusion. "You let them touch your hair? Could I touch it too?"

Kagami reluctantly agreed. "Uh… s-sure…" She said as she undid her pony tail. She then leaned towards Tsukasa.

Tsukasa gently brought her hand upon Kagami's head, closing her eyes as she felt the hair run through her fingers. "...Wow…" She breathed.

Indeed, Kagami's hair was smoother than she remembered it being. The last time she even touched it was… was a year ago when they went to the beach together. _Wow, that already felt so long ago…_ Tsukasa thought. _Maybe it was because Kagami was in the sun all day that her hair wasn't as smooth as it was supposed to be… but still…_

As Tsukasa stroked her sister's hair, she heard Ayano ask. "Misao, may I touch your hair as well?" Misao must have returned already.

Kagami twitched, much to Tsukasa's confusion. "Is something wrong?" Tsukasa whispered. Kagami shook her head in denial

The younger twin frowned in puzzlement. _Something's definitely wrong…_ She thought. _What's going on with her…?_ She though for a bit while stroking Kagami's hair. The answer came quite easily. _Oh. It's jealousy…_ Tsukasa smiled. _Onee-chan is so cute._

Tsukasa opened her eyes to see all three of the girls from 3-C blushing deeply. Kagami seemed to be really enjoying Tsukasa's hand run through her hair while both Misao and Ayano were similarly enjoying themselves.

It did register in her mind how strange such a scene would appear to an outsider, and yes, even to those participating in said activity - and those people were only just realizing how odd their situation truly was. When the session stopped, an awkward silence inevitably followed.

The four sat straight up, not making eye contact, unsure as to what to say to each other.

"U-um…" Misao was the first to speak up. "You're r-really good with your hands, Ayano…" She said.

The girls from 3-C all blushed harder – for what reason, Tsukasa did not understand. What Misao said seemed to have some sort of implied meaning other than the literal.

"Th-thanks, Misao…" Ayano muttered. She glanced at Kagami. "Y-you we're right. Her hair _is_ really soft…"

Kagami nodded, saying nothing. She looked down at her own hand, rubbing her palm with her fingers. Tsukasa sensed a certain feeling of sadness from her. Glancing at Misao, it seemed that the brunette had sensed it too.

Misao shook her head slowly and took Kagami's hand, putting said hand on top of her head. "C'mon. Don't be that way, Kagami"

Kagami chuckled. "Sorry. Don't know what came over me…" She ran her hand on Misao's head once before laying on the table. "It's passed. Don't worry…"

Tsukasa smiled. _Kagami must be a handful._ She thought. She slowly shook her head soon after. _It's so weird thinking that. She's always been so independent –_ _always taking care of me and stuff…_ _Then again, she doesn't need to be like that anymore. I can take better care of myself now. And now she has Misao. It isn't so bad to let herself be weak sometimes_ _._

She glanced at Ayano, noting how she seemed to be holding back her feelings. She looked between her and the couple and wondered. _Hmm… Is she thinking about Misao's brother? I remember that they had a bad fight during the culture festival. They must not have made up yet…_ _It must be hard seeing_ _Kagami and Misao be_ _like that considering how much Misao looks like_ _Masaru_ _…_

"Hey, imouto, wanna do the hair brushing thing now?" Misao asked, holding up the hair brush.

Tsukasa smiled. "Sure"

Kagami stopped her. "Not before you finish eating."

Tsukasa and Ayano sweatdropped. The two only just realized that they haven't finished their lunch yet.

**LUCKY STAR**

Konata asked Miyuki to speak with her in the hall. Miyuki, being the understanding girl that she was, didn't ask why Konata wanted to be alone when they spoke, at least not until they actually _were_ alone.

"May I know why you wanted to speak in private?" The pinkette asked.

Konata grabbed Miyuki's shoulders and tip toed to bring her face as close as possible to Miyuki's "I need help, Miyuki" She said almost desperately.

Miyuki blinked. "…What?"

Konata let go and began pacing back and forth in front of the glasses girl. "It's Tsukasa confessed to me last week. I haven't answered her yet. WHAT DO I DO!?"

Miyuki blinked once more. "… You… you should say yes?" She replied, feeling more and more confused.

"I KNOW. It's just that I don't know how to do that. HOW am I supposed to say yes to her!?" Konata turned to face Miyuki and fell to her hands and knees. She lamented. "Years upon years of experience with dating sims and visual novels and yet I _still_ have no idea what to do…"

Miyuki sweatdropped. "Don't you think you're being a little over dramatic?"

Konata sat up and looked up at Miyuki, straight faced. "I _know_ I'm being over dramatic. It helps relieve stress. To be honest, inside I'm panicking because I have no idea how to do this." She stood and took Miyuki by the shoulders once more. "Please help me" She said flatly.

For as many times, Miyuki blinked again. "Okay, what do you need?" She asked helpfully.

Konata turned away and exclaimed. "AN IDEA" She said, voice not very loud yet very attention grabbing. "I need an idea. Something for a convoluted plan that's so crazy that it'll make me not feel so embarrassed to admit that I actually want to return my girlfriends feelings." There was a pause. " _Wow_ , that sounds so stupid when I say it aloud…"

"So what you're saying is, you want to say yes without feeling embarrassed?" Miyuki asked. Konata nodded. "They why not just invite her to karaoke and sing her a love song – one that well enough describes how you feel for her?"

A moment of silence came and went.

Konata blinked. "Miyuki that's _brilliant_!" She pulled out her phone and began shifting through her files. "But what song, though? Hmm…"

As Konata trailed off, Miyuki couldn't help but giggle. _Konata-san's mind works in strange ways. Even after being with her for three years, I still haven't figured her out._

Miyuki looked around, noting that Hikaru Sakuraba and Nakano Kuroi were both standing outside their classrooms, watching them quietly. Kuroi grinned and gave her a thumbs up while Sakuraba merely nodded with a lazy smile on her face.

The pinkette smiled and sweat dropped. _This is the strangest kind of teacher's approval I've ever received…_

**LUCKY STAR**

Minami watched the scene before her with a noticable amount of confusion. Yutaka who sat next to her was similarly puzzled. The two sat at their respective desks, looking in bemusement at the two who sat at the desks adjacent to theirs. Namely, Patricia and Hiyori, both sitting next to each other, quietly eating lunch.

Not three days ago, they wouldn't acknowledge each other's existence and outright refused to be in the same room as each other. Now, they seemed to be completely fine with each other, even somewhat enjoying each other's presence. The only visible sign of hostility was Patricia's slightly annoyed glance at Minami and Yutaka when she first sat down. Other than that, it was fine.

Did something happen during the weekend, they wondered? Did they finally make up? If so, why did it seem like they still had some sort of rift between them? Minami didn't understand – nor did Yutaka – and she didn't want to start guessing.

 _Only one way to find out, I suppose…_ She thought with a not quite insignificant amount of discomfort.

"I take it you two have made up?" Minami asked curtly.

The two otakus shot each other a questioning look with both of them replying with a look of uncertainty. "Eh… I guess…?" Hiyori answered reluctantly.

Yutaka leaned forward, eyes alight with excitement. "So you're friends again?" She asked, voice full of cheerful energy. Minami nearly tried to hold her back from how strong she was coming off.

The two glanced at each other, trying to hold back the grins forming on their lips. The red head's smile was infectious. "You can say that…" Patricia answered, looking down. "We're not enemies, at least…"

Yutaka blinked at them and frowned. "Patty-chan, is something wrong…?" She asked with concern

Minami watched as the blond stared at Yutaka with wide blue eyes. She could see the panic Patricia hid behind her face of mild surprise. An ominous sense of unsettlement started welling up inside the stoic. _Yutaka's right. Something's wrong…_

Patricia covered her lunch box and stood. "I'm leaving now" She stated. She then left the room without another word.

Something in Minami made her want to say _I told you so_ but she understood that doing that wouldn't be appropriate. Of course, she has to say _something_. Yutaka was still leaning forward, as if she were still stopped in time from when the mood hadn't shifted yet.

"Yutaka, are you alright…?" Minami asked quietly.

The red head leaned back limply. "No…" Yutaka said. "I upset Patricia…" She grumbled quietly.

Minami frowned. She glanced at Hiyori and gave her a questioning look.

Hiyori shrunk. "Uh… I don't know…" She answered nervously. "She said she's been having some problems. I didn't ask any questions. I was just happy that we were friends again…"

Minami nodded and returned her gaze to Yutaka. She had her arms crossed while she chewed her food thoughtfully. The mint haired girl watched in silence, feeling completely useless.

 _I am supposedly Yutaka's protector. Maybe I should have held her back earlier._ _That way, I might have prevented this…_ Minami shook her head. _No, there's no way I could have known something like this would happen. There's no sense in being upset over this._ She looked at Yutaka once more and grit her teeth. _But Yutaka…_

"Hey, uh… you guys mind if I ask you a question?"

Minami blinked and turned to Hiyori. She tilted her head curiously.

"Okay, um… well, last Friday, Patricia got this letter and… well…" Hiyori stopped when she saw Minami's face.

One of the mint haired girl's most obvious change in expression occurred just then and Hiyori was, quite frankly, shocked – which was exactly the kind of face Minami was wearing. Perhaps more shocking was Yutaka, who clenched her teeth, seeming to be struggling to hold in her rage.

Minami's mind was racing. It had spread. It wasn't just them. Who else would they target? Misao? Konata? She felt like a hypocrite by assuming but the stoic was fairly certain that a letter like that wouldn't matter to them. Tsukasa? Kagami? It's very likely that they'd break down or throw a fit. _That_ would be the time Misao and Konata would feel hurt by those letters, forcing them to act.

Minami scowled.

 _What if they'd target every single homosexual in this school? Those out of the closet probably already experienced it, but what about those who're still keeping it secret? Yutaka has whispered to me that a fair number of students she had told a fortune for were at least_ somewhat _attracted to the same gender, but either haven't realized it yet or really don't want others to know – how she figured that out, I have no idea. If they outed those people, we might have a serious matter at hand…_

Minami felt a hand squeeze her own. She glanced at Yutaka who was looking at her pleadingly. _We have to do something._

Minami winced internally. "Yes, this is a problem… but what are we supposed to do? We have no power over something like this. Who knows how big this is and how many are being sent letters? As far as we're concerned, this is something to be stamped out by the disciplinary committee."

Yutaka frowned. "Then who do we know from the disciplinary committee?" She asked almost desperately "I don't like people getting hurt. We have to do something"

Minami winced once more. "Neither do I… I'll see what I can do…"

As Minami moved to stand up, the school bell rang. Wincing for the third time, Minami sat back down and packed up hers and Yutaka's lunchboxes. Hiyori did the same with her own and trudged off to her seat at the side of the classroom. Yutaka pouted as she rubbed the tears forming in her eyes, shaking her head soon after to send said problem to the back of her mind. Minami did something similar, shifting focus from the letters in the lockers to the letters on the board. The teacher had arrived and class was starting. They'd have to deal with the latter, waiting until dismissal to deal with the former.

**LUCKY STAR**

Kagami checked her cellphone, noting that Tsukasa had texted her, saying to go on ahead. The younger twin was apparently on cleaning duty that day. _Huh, she got moved to Mondays again?_ Kagami thought, not quite interested in keeping up her focus on the topic.

She blinked. _Wait, what was I supposed to do…? Right, go home…_ She shook her head and shouldered her bag. _I wish I could get a good night's sleep again. All these random spells of sleepiness_ _in the middle of the day_ _is starting to affect my performance_ _in class – not to mention making the commute home a real pain_ _. It's getting annoying…_

Kagami heard her name and turned to face the voice that said it. "Yeah, Minegishi-san?"

"Hello, Hiiragi-san. Are you going to be watching Misao's practice today as well?" Ayano asked.

"Nah. I'm too tired today. I'll just drop by for a few minutes then I'm headed home." Kagami said drowsily. She felt a yawn start to form and quickly pushed it down. It would be rude to yawn in front of her friend. She ended up yawning anyway. "I caaaa-aaaahhhh~… I can stay and watch with you if you want… Sorry, I'm really sleepy…"

"Don't worry about it, Hiiragi-san. It's probably better not to hold in a yawn. There's a reason you lose control of your jaw when you yawn." Ayano said. "And you don't need to stay if you need rest. I'm sure Misao would say that too."

Kagami chuckled. "Okay then. C'mon, we can still go to the field together." With that they left the room and walked together.

 _She's a good friend._ Kagami thought. _It's nice to see she's talking to us more. For that past few months, we haven't really interacted much. It wasn't like she was ignoring us or we were ignoring her – we just sorta just stopped talking for a while._ _Oddly enough, i_ _t started back up last month, when the culture festival ended…_ _hmm…_

Right as they arrived at the shoe lockers, a thought came to Kagami. _Wait, earlier at the classroom, did Ayano just…?_ "Ayano, I noticed earlier that you called Misao by her first name." Kagami stated, puzzled.

Ayano blinked. "Oh? I did? Oh dear, I'm sorry!" She bowed, clapping her hands together in front of her head.

Kagami sweatdropped. "It's fine, it's fine. Misao never liked being addressed formally anyway. In any case, what made you ditch the nickname you gave her? What was it? Misa-chan?"

Ayano twitched. "Let's just say the name doesn't sound as appealing as it once did."

The tsundere quietly wondered what Ayano meant by that. _Whatever_. She shrugged and opened her shoe locker.

Kagami blinked. "Oh? What's this?" She took out a letter and read it for a few seconds before crumpling it up. "A waste of paper…" She whispered angrily before throwing it to the nearest trash bin.

"What was that?" Ayano asked.

"Just some idiot's idea for a practical joke." Kagami answered, looking very annoyed. "Someone sent me hate mail for being a lesbian. You've gotta have a really stupid underdeveloped mind to hate on someone for who they choose to love."

"I don't know, Hiiragi." Ayano looked down. "Our society isn't very keen on lesbians – or same sex relationships in general."

"Yeah, I know that. But they gotta remember that we're still human, you know? We still have feelings. If Tsukasa got one of those, or maybe Yutaka, I'm sure it'd break their hearts." Kagami crossed her arms and looked angrily at the trash bin. "Man, I'm really pissed now…"

"Well, as you know, I'm part of the disciplinary committee. I could report this and have the school start investigating." Ayano said helpfully. "I know not everyone in this school accepts people like you, but majority of the response by the students involving your relationship has been positive, at least when it comes to _our_ year level. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help out."

Kagami smiled, relaxing somewhat. "Thanks, Ayano…"

Ayano blinked. "Hiiragi-san… you just… My first name…"

Kagami's smile widened. "Why not, right?"

Ayano smiled as well. "Good point. Shall we go to the field now, Kagami?"

"Yes, we shall"

With that, the two switched out their school shoes and left the building, circling around to the track field to greet Misao then go home.

**LUCKY STAR**

"You think Tsukasa's gonna be okay on her own?" Konata wondered aloud. "Should I have stayed and waited for her?"

On the walk to the station, Konata was accompanied by Miyuki, Minami, and Yutaka. They made for good companions while on the go as their interactions with each other were normally quite entertaining. However, that was not the case that day, as Konata soon found out. It was more tense than anything else. It seemed that the two love birds were struggling with something and Miyuki was aware of what it was. Despite being in complete silence, she felt like she was being excluded from the conversation. Considering that the three _were_ actually capable of communicating with no words, the feeling felt even worse.

Of course, ignoring them would be the best course of action, but doing so would mean her thoughts would start wandering inward, as they often did in recent times. From her plan to sing to Tsukasa to how long it's been since she went to work.

Speaking of which, she had been on extended leave for a long time. If she came back that Wednesday for her shift, would they still take her back? Maybe. She'd have to ask Patricia about what they'd be wearing if they did. They were all told about what would be worn a month in advanced so they'd have time to prepare a costume. However, it just so happened that Konata had been off for exactly four weeks, making it so that she had no idea what the costumes would be.

"I should probably ask Patty about that…"

Konata noticed that the two first years both stiffened at the mere mention of Patricia. _I wonder what that's about…?_ She shrugged. _Ah, doesn't matter._

"Konata-san?"

Konata turned to Miyuki "Yeah?"

"Are you alright? You've been awfully quiet." Miyuki asked, concern detectable on the edges of her voice.

Konata blinked. "Could ask the same to you. Talking about something you don't want me to know?" She asked, eyebrow raised

"Ah… well… Yes, we were." Miyuki said nervously. She bowed in apology "We didn't mean to exclude you"

"Nah, it's okay. You're dealing with stuff and it seems like trouble. I doubt I'd enjoy hearing about it anyway."

"Actually, we meant to ask you something, Konata-san…" When the bluenette tilted her curiously, Miyuki continued. "Have you talked to Patricia lately?"

"Nope. Haven't seen her in weeks. It's almost like she's been avoiding me."

"I see… And… Have you received any anonymous letters?"

Konata smiled her all too familiar cat smile. "Don't tell me. Patty's been getting love letters"

Miyuki sweatdropped. "I'm afraid it's not as nice as that. It's something quite less desirable. Yutaka and Minami are also getting similar kinds of letters. We've made no progress finding out who's responsible for sending them."

Much to Konata's horror, she slowly began comprehending what the pinkette was talking about. "… So you mean…" She breathed "they've been getting death threats…?"

Miyuki turned to Minami, who then turned to Yutaka, who then quietly looked down and said nothing. Minami then turned back to Miyuki, frowning, who then returned her gaze to Konata. "It seems so. I have read only one of them so far, which was the one Minami was given. All the others were sent to Yutaka who always tears it up before we can examine it."

"I can't help it! It just upsets me so much!" Yutaka cried in protest.

Minami pulled Yutaka into a small hug. "It's fine, Yutaka. We know. You don't need to make excuses. We understand and are completely okay with it."

Konata frowned. _Well, I'm surprised it took_ this _long for something like this to happen. Still, I hoped people would be more accepting. It sure seemed that way for a good few months_. She winced at the memory of publicly announcing that she and Tsukasa would be dating. _I really shouldn't have done that. I outed her without her permission. She'd probably get targeted too because of that…_

She sighed. "Well, here's hoping it stops, which it probably won't…" She muttered darkly.

"Senpai, I do not appreciate your negativity." Minami said, voice quiet yet sharp.

"That's just how these thing go. Anime and manga aren't very good examples of what happens in real life, I know, but if there's one thing they can do realistically, it's portraying people acting like complete assholes. Trust me this is tame compared to what they can really do. It could be much much worse." She looked at Minami skeptically. "Besides, if you want this to stop, why are you keeping it secret? What if this is a whole bunch of people? You gonna take all of them on by yourself? Go public with this. Talk about it with teachers. They'll help - I know they will... Or at least I know Ms. Kuroi will."

The three looked at each other, unsure.

"Hey, just a suggestion. It isn't likely that they'll stop but maybe if you just ignore them, the deal with these letters will end? Hope for the best, right?"

Minami looked thoughtfully at Yutaka. She then turned her gaze back to Konata. "Maybe you're right… Maybe we've been going about this the wrong way…" She looked down and continued walking. "I'll have to think on it more…"

"Take your time. As long as no one else gets sent death threats, we can deal with this in our spare time." Konata said casually. When she received confused looks, she laughed. "What, you think I'm not gonna try and help? My little cousin and her girlfriend are getting death threats. _Of course_ I'm gonna help. I'll make them rue the day they decided to mess with one of _my_ relatives and their lover"

The three smiled and shook their heads before continuing forward. Little did they know that Konata was serious. _They'll pay. I'll make sure of it…_ She thought darkly. _Well, there's_ another _thing I have to worry about._ She added, a little more tiredly. She sighed and followed, noting that the station was just a few steps away.

**LUCKY STAR**

Tsukasa walked the streets, contemplating what she'd make for dinner that night. Her mother had made something quite extravagant the previous night. Surely her sisters wouldn't hold it against her if she opted for something a bit simpler? She'd probably settle for Ramen. They had the ingredients for it and it wasn't like it tasted bad. Besides, they were eating healthily enough. It probably wouldn't hurt to have it.

Tsukasa nodded to herself. She was decided.

Her mind then switched focus. Namely, on Konata. She knew the bluenette had feelings for her, or at least showed signs of it. It was all a matter of time before she admitted it. Tsukasa giggled when she realized how familiar the whole scenario was. Kagami was the same with Misao – and if Misao could wait three months, surely Tsukasa could wait a few weeks.

She giggled some more, shacking her head. _Onee-chan and Konata_ _sure_ _are similar._ _I_ _t's almost funny_.

"What'cha laughing about?" A familiar voice asked behind her. "Yo, Imouto. S'up?"

"Good afternoon, Misao" Tsukasa greeted. "Just finished practice?"

"Yeah." Misao grinned. "You sure seem to be in a good mood. Something happen?"

Tsukasa shook her head. "No, just thinking of Konata"

Misao blinked before laughing a hearty laugh. "Well, I suppose that isn't a surprise. She answered you yet?"

She shook her head once more. "I'm not rushing her. I can wait." The shorter girl smiled. "If anything, you had to wait for longer"

Misao winced. "Uhh, don't remind me. Kagami was being a total pain back then"

Tsukasa tilted her head curiously. "Huh? But you always seemed so happy with her back then"

"That's because I _was_ – and I still am. Doesn't change the fact that she was a pain, though"

"I'm not disagreeing." Tsukasa said innocently

"Oo, talking back. I like this new side of you." Misao said with a smirk. "Anyway, what's new in the world of the class next door? The test scores should be posted some time this week. How you feel about them?"

The shorter girl sweatdropped. "I did my best"

Misao laughed again. "Ha! Same. Here's hoping we pass." She stopped walking. "Oi, Tsukasa, where you going? The station's here"

Tsukasa blinked. "Oh." She smiled and scratched her head. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

With that, they entered the station.

**LUCKY STAR**

Ayano sank into her bed. Every night since last Wednesday, she had received a lecture from her sister. The guilt from the incident with Masaru was stronger than it had ever been. Masaru still talked to her – he was still the asshole she knew and loved – but something about the way he treated her seemed… different. Like he was being gentle with her. Her sister, Akira, on the other hand seemed like she was taking pleasure in making her feel bad.

"Uhhhh, why does she have to be such a bitch!?" Ayano groaned.

"I heard that. I'm a bitch because you aren't answering my question" She heard, muffled from the floor below. Akira was on kitchen duty and was busy cooking dinner.

Ayano groaned once more.

Akira had made good with her promise of pestering her until she gave an answer. Ayano truly didn't know. Very little could be said of her reasons for hospitalizing her ex-boyfriend. She was a little out of it when it happened and got caught up in the moment. It wasn't really clear what was going on inside her mind as that happened.

 _Why_ did _I kick him so violently…?_ Ayano wondered. _Thinking about it, it ma_ _k_ _e_ _s_ _no sense. Why did I get so angry at him that I'd actually physically hurt him?_ _All he did was talk down on Misao. It's not like he was doing anything different from the norm…? Uhh, I'm so confused… I hate this. I hate this so much…_

She sighed. There was little she could do. Try as she might, the answer wouldn't come. _Whatever. Maybe dinner won't be as antagonizing tonight. Mother should be back home early from work today…_

She continued lying down mind still wandering.

**LUCKY STAR**

[LUCKY CHANNEL!]

[Hiya luckies! I'm Akira Kogami, your navigator!]

[And I'm Minoru Shiraishi, assistant navigator!]

[So, Shiraishi, how was your weekend? I heard you went to visit a relative]

[Yeah. My parents, actually. They live out of town. I missed them a lot so it was a great weekend.]

[ _Good for you. At least_ your _parents seems nice…_ ]

[I'm gonna get a lot of flak for asking this but… Daddy issues?]

[ _Nah, my mother actually. Anyway, we should play the next song. I'll have gotten over it by then…_ ]

[You sound upset _…_ Need a hug _…_?]

[ _Ew, no. Stay away from me_ ]

[Oh, come on. You know you want one.]

[ _No I don't!_ ]

[You're blushing]

[ _Shut up!_ Anyway, this next song is… *mumbles* Yukkie Yesterday, the ED to the sixth episode of Mekaku City Actors… *mumbles* _Originally a vocaloid song… Got a remix for the anime… bah people don't need to hear this…_ Brought to you by Studio Shaft. Enjoy!]

[You know that song is about a girl who can't be honest with her feelings.]

[ _I said shut up!_ ]

~music start~


	6. The Clouds Past the Horizon

A week of preparation had left Konata Izumi as ready as she'd ever be to tell the girl she loved exactly how much she loved her. All she had to do was go the karaoke place and she could finally enact her plan.

That said, they were experiencing some trouble as they went there. The karaoke place nearest to Ryoo was currently being investigated by the police as someone had apparently rented a booth there for six hours and ended up hospitalized due to to an overdose in illegal drugs. The second nearest place, near the supermarket some ways from the school, was packed with people because the _first_ nearest karaoke place was unavailable - the students who wanted to karaoke had to find someplace else that was near the school. _Another_ place that was one train station away was _similarly_ packed as a near exact case happened to _another_ karaoke place near a _different_ school.

And so, Konata walked nervously through the streets, accompanied by an irritated Kagami, fairly cheerful Misao and Miyuki, and somewhat tired Tsukasa and Ayano.

Kagami was quite vocal with her complaints. She served as the voice for everyone else's complaints as well since, indeed, they too were starting to get annoyed at how things were going.

"You have got to be kidding me. That was the third one! Did _every_ karaoke joint near a school let some nut job with drugs pass out in one of their booths!?"

"I don't know, Kagami." Konata said flatly, not quite sure how to react to her situation anymore.

It was like she were the protagonist in an anime. _Of course_ stuff was happening to her. Her story wouldn't be interesting otherwise.

 _But I don't_ want _to be the protagonist._ Konata argued in her head. _For once in my life, I actually want a_ small _presence – one that's as small as the space my body takes up! Stop focusing on me, dammit!_ _Make me a side character in_ _a boring episode from a slice of life anime, not_ _the main character in some_ _cliché rom-com_ _episode_ _!_

Much to her dismay, though not at all to her surprise, her wishes weren't granted. She wasn't in an anime, romantic comedy or otherwise. She knew of the distinction quite well. The wall between reality and anime was there. It could be leaned upon. It could even be broken. But the wall was there, and neither she nor the anime characters who were aware of it could cross over to the other side. And as much as she had agonized that fact over the years, she had come to accept it.

 _Oh dammit dammit DAMMIT!_ She thought, shaking her head. _I have enough problems without all these depressing_ _and DISTRACTING_ _thoughts clouding my mind. Not only is it not helping, it's also taking up time_ _that_ _could_ _be_ _use_ _d_ _to solv_ _e_ _this problem. I need something to make them go away!_

As if there to answer Konata's unspoken request, Tsukasa quietly hugged the shorter girl from behind, infusing her with what seemed like a concentrated dose of happiness that was nothing short of electrifying.

"If things aren't going as planned, you could always improvise, right?" Tsukasa whispered as she pulled away.

Konata smiled wryly. "Right…" _Well wouldn't you know it, the student has become the master. To think I only got her into improv last month. Oh how time flies_ …

"Okay, I'm guessing you guys are tired?" Konata asked the others, sounding quite a bit tired herself.

"Yeah. Couldn't you tell?" Kagami grumbled. "Nope" Misao quipped with a grin. "I'm feeling a little thirsty but no, I'd say I'm fine" Miyuki answered. "I could use a bit of rest…" Ayano said quietly. "Same here…" Tsukasa agreed is a similarly soft voice.

Konata sighed. "Yeah, figured as much." She shook her head and pulled out her phone. "Okay, I'm gonna have to cash in a few favors. Guys, we're going back to the train station for now." She couldn't help but chuckle at the collective groan that followed her statement. She turned to Tsukasa and winked "Tsukasa, if you would…"

As the group began moving, Konata began sending a series of texts. Tsukasa, probably realizing what Konata meant, quickly began walking behind the bluenette, nudging her left and right to avoid obstacles in their way and to keep her on track.

Even as she texted, a sense of pride and joy seemed to spread through Konata. She was putting literally all her trust in Tsukasa to keep her from stumbling – and Tsukasa was delivering. The happiness she felt at knowing they could share something like this felt almost unreal. It wholly cemented the fact in Konata's mind that she loved Tsukasa and she need only tell her so.

Not that she wasn't sure before. The reason they were even out on their little _adventure_ was because Konata was to give Tsukasa her reply. And her reply was a very solid _yes_. Indeed, Konata did love Tsukasa back. What she said the week prior was just because she was so happy and–

Konata shook her head once more. _Distractions, distractions._ _Distracting_ _me_ _from_ _action._ She thought with a sing-song voice even as she scowled in an attempt to clear her mind. _Now where was I…?_

**LUCKY STAR**

"Hey, I'm here to hang out again!"

Yutaka had just arrived home and was in the process of removing her shoes when she heard the sound of engines roaring and tires screeching right outside the house. Shortly after, her sister, Yui, burst through the door with the energy and enthusiasm of an entire stadium of sports fans.

"Good afternoon, Onee-san." Yutaka greeted cheerfully. "Is it your day off already?"

"Nah, I spent the day training a couple of rookies. We got into some trouble – a lot of it. It was nasty." Yui gagged, as she recalled the events of the day as she experienced it. "Everything was fine til' about a few hours ago. We got five simultaneous cases of illegal drug overdose victims locked in karaoke booths."

Yutaka shuddered. She had seen something like that during her years at the hospital and it was not a pretty sight. Though, from what Yui described, the cases that day were substantially more unpleasant than what she had once seen. "Are you okay, sis?"

Yui shook her head. "No, not really. It's one of the reasons I had to take leave. I just couldn't handle it, you know?"

Yutaka blinked, suddenly realizing something. "I thought you were a traffic cop?"

"I _was_. I got offered a promotion of sorts this week after one our older guys got let go." Yui looked down solemnly. "I'm kinda regret accepting that offer though…" She shook her head and she was back to her normal energetic self. "But enough of that. A couple of hours spent with my angel of a little sister should be enough to cheer me up!"

With that, the woman with ocean blue hair kicked off her shoes and dashed for the kitchen, leaving Yutaka sweatdropping at the sight.

She sighed. _Maybe a couple of hours with Onee-chan is something I need too. I know for sure it'd cheer me up._ She slipped on the in-doors slippers and follower her sister into the kitchen.

**LUCKY STAR**

"I'm sorry to have kept you, Minami" Nurse Amahara apologized.

Fuyuki Amahara and Minami Iwasaki, School Nurse and Nurse's Aid respectively, had stayed at school late for reasons fairly simple. Nurse Amahara was in need of assistance in taking inventory and Minami Iwasaki volunteered to help, something said student was keen on reminding the nurse.

"It's fine, Miss Amahara. I volunteered to help so you do not need to apologize for keeping me" Minami said flatly "Speaking of which, what time is it?"

Amahara checked her watch, noting how late it had become. "A quarter to five. You should get going, Minami. It's almost winter so the sun sets earlier than it usually does."

Minami nodded, shouldering her bag. "Good night, Miss Amahara"

"Stay safe, Minami. Have a good weekend. Be sure to inform me of anything supernatural to come your way"

With that, she left the nurse's office, passing Ms Sakuraba on her way in.

That day, she and Yutaka had not gone home together. Had the shorter girl received another letter? Minami didn't know.

Official school investigations on the who had sent said letters had begun but progress didn't seem any more prominent than when Minami was working at it on her own. In other words, no new information has been gathered since the investigation began at the start of that week – other than information that should _not_ have been made public.

She frowned. _This investigation is n_ _ei_ _t_ _her_ _subtle nor aggressive enough._ _On t_ _he first day of investigations, lockers were forced open and their contents were inspected. They found eight letters, more than half of which were love letters. The letters that attacked the school's homosexuals were also found but it also outed_ _some_ _of those who were still in-the closet – that is_ _to say_ _, those who were still keeping their sexuality secret._ _Two_ _of_ _those outed_ _stopped going to school._ _The disciplinary committee's methods lack tact._

 _Thinking positively, at least the letters have stopped being sent –_ _at least to us._ Minami thought. _But the problem isn't solved yet. These people haven't been brought to justice…_

 _Justice…_ She chuckled bitterly. _If these letters weren't targeting students, it's probable that none of these 'investigations' would happen_ _at all_ _._ _The fact that_ _we_ _'re students is the only reason this matter is even being considered._ _No one would do a thing to stop these monsters without a name_ _because everyone has closed their minds to the possibility that people like us are human beings with feelings_ _._ _Most people would tolerate us… but they wouldn't care about whatever terrible thing_ _s_ _might_ _happen to us._

Minami stopped walking and took a deep breath, noting how tensed up she suddenly was. With a deep inhale and slow exhale, she unclenched her fists and let her shoulders relax. _I must_ _n't let these feelings of anger get the better of me. I have more self control than this…_

After sufficiently calming herself down, Minami began walking once more.

**LUCKY STAR**

A knock on the Kusakabe residence's front door left it's only occupant at the time in a state to mild yet profound confusion. They weren't expecting visitors, and Misao wouldn't be home until later that night. Who would visit them then? The answer presented itself to the one boy in the house quite easily as he simply went to see who it was.

"Oh… it's you" Masaru muttered upon seeing who it was behind the door.

"Hey." Akira Minegishi smiled cheerfully at the boy. "Came to check on you."

"I told you, I'm fine" Masaru said dryly before closing the door, the lock clicking softly as it smoothly slid into the door frame. Suddenly the door shot open, with a pissed looking Akira glaring back at him. Masaru frowned. "Don't slam the door" He scolded boredly. Akira gave him a look of disgust to which he responded with his own look of mock disbelief. "…What? Did I do something wrong?" He asked, voice practically oozing with sarcasm.

Akira sighed and stepped past the threshold, kicking off her shoes and walking to the living room.

"Bad day, huh?" Masaru noted before closing the door and following her inside.

Akira sat down at the coffee table and set up her laptop. As she did so, Masaru took the time to note the girl's physical state. She looked fatigued, though that wasn't new. She was taking an engineering course at a nearby university – tired was very much the norm for her ever since she graduated high school. However, the fatigue Masaru noticed was not of the exhaustion inherent to someone like her. It was something deeper and much closer to home, he felt. And it didn't help that she wasn't wearing make up that day.

"So, something up?" He asked, easing himself onto a seat. "Something from home?"

"Yeah, that's actually one of the reasons I came here"

Masaru afforded himself a smug smirk. _Bingo._ He thought, pleased with himself. _And, as always,_ _this girl gets_ _straight to the point._ _Alright, lay down your cards and let's see how it looks_

"I've been guilt tripping Ayano." Akira stated curtly.

"Idiot" Masaru said almost immediately after those words left the girl's mouth. "I told all of you, I'm fine. I don't want her blaming herself any more than necessary. What you're doing is stupid"

The dark orange haired girl scowled. "No, what I'm doing is cruel." She said, not really helping her case in Masaru's eyes. "But it's the only way I can think of for her to realize the truth"

 _Cruel?_ _Yeah, pretty fucking cruel_ _._ The boy rolled his eyes in annoyance. "The truth to _what_ , exactly?"

"The reason she got so angry at you in the first place"

Masaru laughed. "Well, good fucking luck. That girl's so caught up in the lie she's been living this past three years that she actually believes it's true. I'm starting to believe she never knew it was a lie in the first place"

"That's bullshit." Akira snapped "She knows deep down and just won't accept it. The only way she'll accept it is if she realizes the truth herself."

"Like I said, good fucking luck."

The two stared at each other, shooting daggers from their eyes like it was a knife throwing competition. Neither was willing to back down so they stayed that way for quite some time. Only with the sound of a microwave ringing did they allow their gaze to falter. Masaru stood and made for the kitchen.

 _Geez, girl, what the fuck? Even_ I'm _not that harsh to my little sister._

**LUCKY STAR**

"Tamura, you're doing _it_ again."

Hiyori blinked. She had barely noticed that, once more, in her hand, was a crumpled piece of paper torn from her sketch pad. Uncrumpling said paper surprised her in that it did not contain a drawing of one Patricia Martin as is did in the past. Rather, it was a background: An airport with a plane taking off – or at least it was supposed to be…

Ko peered over Hiyori's shoulder and muttered dryly. "Tamura, something tells me you've never seen an airport before – or an airplane…"

Hiyori sighed. "No, I haven't. The next chapter of my story involves someone going abroad but I'm having trouble drawing the scene that shows the airport"

"Why not just, I don't know, make a crowd of people and at a text box at the top of the page saying ' _airport_ '?"

Hiyori stood and looked at Ko in disgust. "How dare you even suggest such a lazy method of doing things!? My work has _quality_ and _integrity_! I'm doing this right!"

"Huh? So you gonna go to an airport?"

"Yes." Hiyori said a-matter-of-factly "And _you're_ coming with me."

Ko blinked. "Wait, what?" Right as Hiyori was shouldering her bag and leaving, Ko grabbed her own bag and jumped in front of the manga artist. "Okay, what makes you think I'm going?"

"Please? I'll owe you a favor"

Ko looked at the glasses girl with a tired annoyance. "Tamura, you owe me fourteen favors already. If you keep this up, you're gonna be in my debt for the rest of your life"

"Well, that's because you refuse to cash any of them in!" Hiyori said angrily. She sighed, before bowing low. "Please, senpai. Just an afternoon taking pictures at the airport. I can even wait until winter break starts. Please!"

"Why not just ask the Martin girl? I heard she was going back stateside once break starts."

Upon hearing those words, all the air inside the room seemed to have been instantaneously sucked into oblivion, leaving a certain silence hanging in the empty space the air once occupied.

"Tamura…? Tamura, what's wrong?"

Everything was faint – like if sound was an image and it was blurred beyond recognition. And even actual the images she saw with her own two eyes seemed to be blurring. And she couldn't breathe. It was like being under water. But with a blink, suddenly everything was back to normal. Ko was still looking at her worriedly and she herself was still…

"She's leaving…?" Hiyori asked quietly. _Just when we became friends again…?_ She wanted to add. She shook her head in confusion.

"Wait, you didn't know? There was talk all about it from the first years in our club. You're telling me you weren't paying attention?" Hiyori shrunk. Ko scratched the back of her head. "Ah, Tamura, what am I going to do with you…?"

Ko stepped forward and put her hand on Hiyori's head. "Look kid, she's not gonna be gone forever. Just wait it out and don't let it get to ya." She said with a reassuring smile. It somehow worked – Hiyori felt reassured. "Besides, you've still got some time 'til winter break. Why not make the most of it?"

Hiyori nodded sullenly, sad smile adorning her face. The silence that followed didn't feel quite as empty. It was however, short lived.

They both suddenly jumped at two simultaneous ring tones. Hiyori checked her phone and Ko did the same. They both got a text message from Konata.

"Looks like you've got a chance to pay some of your debts today" Ko said with a grin. "C'mon, Izumi-senpai's got a job for us" With that, she dashed out of the room.

Hiyori nodded and followed the blonde out the door.

**LUCKY STAR**

As Minami walked to the station she notice how there were a lot of police officers walking around. Feeling uncharacteristically nosy, she decided to walk up to one and ask what's going on.

"Excuse me, officer?" Minami said, catching the police woman's attention.

"Well, _you're_ out late. After-school club activities?" The woman asked.

"Something like that." Minami looked around anxiously. The karaoke place her senpais were supposed to go to was nearby. "Did something happen here?"

"Yeah. Terrible stuff. Maybe two or three hours ago, some drug addicts were found passed out inside of a karaoke booth. The place had to stop business for the day so we could perform investigations. Can't say much else – official police business and stuff"

The feeling of dread growing inside of Minami seemed to subside when she found out that the place was already closed when Miyuki and her other senpais arrived. "So it was hours ago. That's a relief..." She breathed.

"I take it that your friends were going to karaoke today? Well, they had to find someplace else. Don't worry, they should be fine."

Minami nodded and continued on her way.

**LUCKY STAR**

"What I'm saying is, that's a shitty way to be a big sister"

"Oh, and what makes you any different!?" Akira yelled.

Masaru growled in annoyance. They weren't getting anywhere with this. It was just a back and forth banter that was going in circles. Akira was as stubborn as her sister. How was he supposed to convince her to lay off with the guilt tripping when she threatened to get all violent. It was like he was in his relationship with Ayano all over again, except this time, he wasn't in it willingly.

"What makes me different is that Misao can take it. Do you have any idea how fragile Ayano is?"

"But what about what she did to you? What about what she put you through for _three years_!?"

Masaru winced.

Yeah, their relationship was far from perfect. Hell, it wasn't even happy. It was a miracle his patience lasted as long as it did. But he knew what he was getting himself into. He had known Ayano for nine years already by the time they gotten together. He had accepted his fate the moment he said yes

"What she put me through was something I chose for myself." Masaru said quietly. "You could say my goal was the same one you're trying to achieve right now."

Akira looked at him skeptically. "Explain..."

Masaru grit his teeth. _Fine..._

**LUCKY STAR**

" _Hey… uh… Masaru…?" Ayano asked quietly_

_Masaru looked away from his laptop to see a middle school senior with bright orange hair look at him with similarly bright blue eyes. This was the first time his best friend's sister ever called him, not by the nickname she gave him, Masa-kun, but by his first name – and without honorifics at that. She looked ever so shy and cute._

_Of course, he had to keep appearances - and to most, he appeared to be a gruff and not overly nice person. So he replied as such. "What do you want, Ayano?" He asked dryly._

" _I was just wondering if you're… you know, free this Saturday…"_

 _Masaru looked at her skeptically._ Okay, what the actual fuck? Is she asking me out on a date? _"Yeah, I'm free but…"_

" _Please…" Ayano looked down._

Oh, crap, she is. _Masaru grit his teeth._ How the hell did this even happen? As far as I can tell, she thinks I'm just some asshole who's related to Misao. Now she's asking me out? Is this some sort of joke? Did someone dare her? _He noticed Misao worriedly watching from around the corner. Masaru glared at her._ Oh you fucking bitch, you forced this onto her didn't you?

" _Please…!" Ayano repeated more forcefully, causing the boy's stern look on his sister to falter._

"… _This… This isn't some sort of dare, is it…?" When Ayano didn't answer, Masaru simply scowled at his laptop screen, the various colorful explosions of the video game on screen no longer keeping his interest._ It's not a dare. No one's forcing her…

_With a lot of reluctance, Masaru agreed on the date. "Sure… I'll pick you up at six… We can go see a movie or something…"_

"… _Thank you…" Ayano said quietly, before stalking off to join Misao who gave her a hand on her shoulder and a sad but reassuring smile._

No one's forcing her… except herself…? _Masaru looked_ _away from the scene, suddenly feeling terrible._ This wasn't a dare. I just know it isn't…

 _He exited the video game and put his computer to sleep before putting it aside and leaning forward, hands clenched into fists at the edges of the table._ I get the feeling that my decision will make me really fucking miserable… But why am I more worried about Ayano…?

 _He shook his head before picking up his laptop and leaving._ I need some air…

**LUCKY STAR**

_Hiyori stood on the roof, glaring through the fence. She was waiting for someone to say something important and it was not something she wanted to wait on. Thankfully, she didn't need to wait long. The door opened and out came Patricia Martin, busty and blonde, with a smug grin on her face._

_Patricia casually walked over to Hiyori. "So, what'd you wanna talk about?"_

_Hiyori turned and slapped the blonde. The manga artist stared icy daggers at her before replying with coldness equal to that of said gaze. "We're over, Patricia Martin."_

_Patrica brought a hand up to her cheek and rubbed it gingerly before looking at Hiyori in outrage. "_ The fuck!? _" She yelled in English. "What did I do this time!?"_

" _Exactly what you've_ always _been doing! You've been telling me I should just say so if something's bothering me but why is it that when I do exactly that, you ignore me!? Am I that unimportant to you!? Am I really just some girl who you get to have sex with!? Every time I ask that, you answer no, but is that really true!?"_

" _I…" Patricia frowned and looked down. "Fine! It's over, then! See if I care!" Patricia turned and left, stomping to the door which she curtly slammed shut on her way down._

_Hiyori sighed, leaning backwards against the fence and letting herself slide to the floor. "Well… I told her how I feel…" She muttered to herself, voice cracking. "At least it's finally over…"_

**LUCKY STAR**

Hiyori stared awkwardly in the opposite direction of a certain girl whom Konata had also called to assist. Really, she should have expected this but somehow, seeing her face at that particular moment came like punch to the gut.

"Yo, Hiyori, Ko-senpai." Patricia greeted with a tired wave.

Her desire to be polite overruling her desire to leave, Hiyori turned around and returned the greeting along with Ko.

"I reckon senpai sent you a text too?" Ko asked

"Yeah. I've got my stuff, how about you guys?"

"Yup. Me and Tamura got what Izumi-senpai asked of us. Now we've just gotta set it up"

And set up they did. Ko got to work uncurling the extension cords, Hiyori connected the projector and laptop, while Patricia set up the speakers. While Ko got busy looking for an electrical outlet to plug into that didn't require her to look for another extension cord, Patricia and Hiyori had a little chat.

"So… you're going back to America come winter break…?" Hiyori asked quietly, not really expecting an answer.

"…You heard…?" Patricia asked, though it didn't feel like it was a question that wanted an answer either. She chuckled and shook her head. "… Yeah. Been planning to for a long time…"

"… Why didn't you tell me…?"

"Honestly? I didn't think you'd care."

Somehow, that didn't surprise Hiyori one bit. But hearing it seemed to open wounds that were still in the process of healing. _Why_? Why didn't she think Hiyori would care? Why was she so insensitive so as to think such a ridiculous thing? The raven haired girl just seethed with outrage just thinking about it.

"Why do you keep doing that…!?" Patricia said angrily, snapping Hiyori out of her own thoughts. "Why do you keep raging over stuff that doesn't matter? I don't understand…"

"Patricia…" Hiyori breathed. Even in the calm silence of the empty school campus, her voice felt small.

"I don't understand… Why do you care so much…?" Patricia slowly fell to her knees. "Why did you just keep getting angry at me…? Why didn't you just let me go!? Leave me! Ignore me! Cut ties and never speak to me again! Why didn't you do that!?" Her voice broke as a single tear fell down her cheek. "Why didn't you just leave me the moment the relationship didn't work out of you…? Why did you force a relationship that obviously wouldn't work…?"

The manga artist swallowed, feeling once more like the air had grown so thin so as to just disappear. "Because I _wanted_ it to work…"

"I don't understand!" Patricia yelled. "I don't understand…" She repeated in a softer voice.

Hiyori stood and walked over to Patricia before forcing the blonde to her feet and slapping her. The sound of palm colliding with cheek echoed into the night.

" _What_ is so hard to understand!?" Hiyori asked harshly. "I love you. Whether as a friend or as a lover, it doesn't matter. I love you. I wanted to be happy with you. Why was _that_ so hard to understand!?"

As the blonde just looked at her with pained confusion, Hiyori felt angry – no, furious – no, completely and utterly taken by rage – rage at how she finally understood. She finally understood that Patricia simply _didn't_ – and never would.

She could almost feel pity for the blonde. All the times she had asked Hiyori to explain – had asked to be told what was wrong – none of them mattered because it was more than likely that Patricia simply didn't understand of word of it. Their relationship was doomed from the start, and knowing that brought a certain clarity to Hiyori.

They wanted different things, Hiyori felt. She knew she would never get anything more out of their relationship than sex and she finally felt ready to accept that. Everything else about their relationship was shallow, at best, and even though Hiyori could tell Patricia cared for her, her attachment wasn't deep. It would probably be better if they had simply stayed as they once were: friends – perhaps even friends with benefits.

As Hiyori's anger subsided, she felt a smile grow on her face. It felt sad – pained even – but real. It felt hopeful. She had finally let go. Maybe she could finally move on now…?

She looked at the blond, standing stiffly in front of her. She looked hurt in more ways than one. "You hate me now, don't you…?" Patricia asked quietly. "I'm sorry I don't understand. I'm sorry I can't. I'm sorry…"

Hiyori shook her head and gave Patricia a hug. "It's fine, Patty. I forgive you. My mind is still raging on whether or not I _should_ , but I forgive you." She gave her a kiss on the lips. It was a tame one in comparison to how they normally kissed but somehow it felt much more passionate. She pulled away slowly, whispering. "I still love you, Patty. But I know when to give up…" Hiyori released Patricia from the embrace. "Consider the two of us over for good…"

Patricia looked at the raven haired girl, wide eyed and crying. She smiled, ever so slightly. The blonde threw her arms around Hiyori, locking them into a hug once more, sobbing quietly into her chest.

Hiyori chuckled, stroking the blonde's hair. "Let it all out…" She whispered.

 _Patricia said she'll never get her happy ending. I'm more inclined to believe her now…_ She closed her eyes. _I almost feel sorry for her…_

**LUCKY STAR**

With a certain amount of confusion, Tsukasa and company found themselves walking back to school. When she asked Konata why, she merely smiled and told them that all would be clear once they got there. They were only a short distance from Ryoo and that gap was slowly being closed, but Tsukasa did not at all find any more clarity with the situation than she had earlier.

"Dammit, my feet are killing me" Kagami complained. Tsukasa turned behind her to see Misao pick up the older twin. "Hey, stop that!" Kagami shouted with a deep blush on her cheeks

"Hey, you said you were tired. Might as well, right?"

"But it's embarrassing...?" Kagami said quietly.

Misao grinned. "Good."

With a flustered reluctance obvious to even Tsukasa, Kagami lowered her head and nodded.

Tsukasa watched the two with quiet curiosity. That was a rare display of affection between them. To Tsukasa's knowledge, Kagami liked to keep things tame - the most she had ever instigated was hand holding and even then that was rare. Misao on the other hand tended to take the lead, hugging and kissing the tsundere from out of the blue - Kagami would always stop her before anything ever came of it.

Then she remembered when she saw the two of them standing in the rain last week. They were having a _moment of intimacy_ , Konata had said. Tsukasa didn't quite understand what she meant. Now, she might just have it. That was how the two of them showed affection to each other. Their mere presence was enough for them. It was amazing.

"They're not a perfect couple, but they really do love each other..." Tsukasa whispered to herself. "And they both know they love each other..." She stared at Konata's back, the bluenette still marching on in front of them. "I know she feels the same way. I'm only waiting for her to admit it..." She shook her head. "Then why do I feel so tense right now? Why do I feel so uncertain? Why am I so afraid? Why...?"

"Hey..." Tsukasa turned to her side to see that Misao was now walking beside her. In her arms was Kagami, staring with a calmness that felt strangely comforting.

"Relax, sis. Everything's gonna go fine." Kagami said with a tired smile. "You know how Konata is. Everything always has to be convoluted and weird with her. You know what's going to happen: she's gonna say she loves you back - you just don't know how she's gonna do it." She chuckled. "If I were you, I'd just stop worrying and enjoy the show. Whatever she has in mind, it's going to be great."

Misao laughed. "Heh, that's rich coming from you."

The tsundere scowled, cheeks turning a shade darker. "Is there a problem, Misao?"

Misao laughed louder "Nope, no problem at all"

Tsukasa smiled. "Okay..."

**LUCKY STAR**

"Yo, Yu-chan, whatcha' doing there? Moping?" Yui asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"Just thinking about mom." Yutaka said, looking quietly out the window. "I miss her…"

Yui chuckled "Well, you're not the only one. Haven't seen here since last Christmas"

Yutaka stood from her seat by the window and joined Yui on her bed. "Hey, Onee-chan. What was life like…? You know…before…"

"Before you first got hospitalized?" Yui sat up straight and smiled, seemingly eager to reminisce. "Well, it was definitely a happier time, that's for sure

"When you were born, I was still in elementary – just a happy, energetic, sorta boyish little girl. You, on the other hand, were an even happier and even more energetic little toddler. We were like two peas in a pod. I'd make up some crazy scheme and you'd follow me even though you were barely able to walk. Mom and Dad were always scolding me, telling me I was a bad influence, and would be a danger to you. I never really believed them until you stole a spoon from the kitchen and tried to force it into an electrical outlet because I said you'd get super powers from it."

They both wince from the memory. Yutaka's left hand had turned numb that night and Yui was so wracked with guilt that she couldn't sleep.

"Yeah, I was a terrible sister back then. Of course, the damage had already been done - you gained my reckless tendencies - so we spent the next few years trying to keep you from hurting yourself. It took a long time for you to start cooperating with us. Still, it was kinda fun seeing all the antics you'd pull"

Yutaka felt mortified. "Was I really that much of a handful?"

Yui laughed. "That, and then some." She shook her head slowly, looking thoughtful. "But I would have given anything to keep you that way…"

Yutaka frowned. "What happened?"

"Oh, you know _what_ happened."

"No, I don't. I know _something_ happened, just not _what_."

Yui blinked, apparently surprised at the revelation. "We didn't tell you?"

"No. All I know is that something happened when I was really young to make me as sickly as I am now and that I'd be told more about it once I was older… Then I moved here and never had the chance to ask about it again"

"Oh…" Yui said quietly, stroking her ocean blue hair. "You know what? I think you're more than old enough to know." She said, looking at Yutaka seriously. The red head simply nodded and let Yui tell her what happened. "You fell off a tree while you were climbing it"

Yutaka frowned. "Really? That was it?"

"Yeah."

"Was it a tall tree?" The red head asked.

"No really."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, you fell off a tree, broke your arm, and for some reason, you were sickly ever since." Yui crossed her arms and pouted. "Makes no sense to me either, to be honest. And it's unfair that you became so weak after that. You used to have so much energy. The fact that something so trivial doing that to you really grinds my gears, you know?"

Yutaka nodded quietly. "That was... well... it's not like I was expecting anything big like getting hit by a bus but..." She tiredly let her head tilt to the side. "That was a bit anticlimactic..."

"Eh, I can agree with you there." Yui's face suddenly lit up. "Ooh! _There's_ a word I haven't heard you use yet. Who'd you hear it from?"

"Well, Konata-nee-chan. Something about anime. She was talking to Kagami-senpai at the time"

"Do tell!"

"Um... okay...?"

And so, their conversation continued, with a tone much lighter than it had when it began.

**LUCKY STAR**

Minami quietly walked through the front door of the Iwasaki estate. Having just arrived home, she still wore her uniform but planned to change the moment she got to her room. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she was met with surprise. She had been trudging along with her head down and her eyes looking towards her feet and had not been aware of the two women sitting on the steps.

"M-minami… H-hello. I didn't hear you come in" Honoka said shakily, awkwardly trying to straighten out her shirt and hair, face still flushed from her earlier… activities… with the woman next to her.

That woman was Yukari, who wore similarly messy shirt and hair style as well as similarly red cheeks. "Y-yes." She agreed. "It's common courtesy to tell the people of the house that you're home…"

Minami blinked. "I'm home…" She said after the fact in her usual monotone

"Well, you're awfully cheeky today." Honoka noted. "Did something unpleasant happen?"

Minami frowned and thought for a bit. "Nothing… _happened_ , per se…" She began. "Just a possibility… a very unpleasant one…"

Minami looked at Honoka who was similarly looking back at her. Then the mother glanced at the other mother, smiling apologetically. Minami turned her gaze to Yukari just long enough to see her nod in a look of quiet understanding before turning back to her mother.

As Honoka stood and gave her a hug, Minami couldn't help but wonder if being naturally adept at reading body language was something hereditary or if it was something learned from being with someone for long enough. She knew of only three people who could hold entire conversations without speaking: Miyuki, Yutaka, and herself – that list grew by two people just now. But the three of them were close. And she and Miyuki had mothers who were _also_ apparently adept at reading people. She had yet to see anyone else who was as effective as they were.

 _Perhaps I should do research on it?_ Minami thought. _Wow, look at this. I'm turning into Miyuki, with her impulsive curiosity. But this interests me, so I don't see why not_.

"You suddenly became distracted by something else when I hugged you" Honoka commented as she pulled away from the hug. "You seem happier. I take it you're cheered up now?"

"Hmm… You could say that. Thank you mother"

Honoka smiled. "No problem"

As Minami continued on towards her room, she uncharacteristically turned back to tease the two women. "You two should get a room."

Honoka blushed. "It's our house isn't it?" She argued in embarrassment.

"You were in the way."

Honoka looked away, accepting defeat with flushed cheeks. Yukari was similarly blushing. The two hurriedly walked down the steps and out of Minami's view.

Minami shook her head, chuckling in amusement.

**LUCKY STAR**

The bizarre scene before them was something akin to that of a comedy anime. It made no sense for it to be there and, frankly, it was a feat in itself that it was there in the first place. In the little niche behind the school building of all places was a makeshift stage of desks with small speakers on either side. Two rows of folding chairs were arranged in front of it - enough for eight people to watch. Behind the row of seats was another desk with a laptop and projector, lighting up the wall behind the stage with the wonderful image of two girls kissing - they didn't need to ask whose laptop it was as it was pretty obvious that it was Hiyori's.

Tsukasa stared at the stage in wonder. Konata had called for that. In less than thirty minutes, they delivered.

"Gotta hand it to Chibi. She pulled out all the stops for this." Misao said sitting down at the second row.

Kagami chuckled sitting down next to her. "Yeah. This is even more extravagant than her _last_ plan. Normally when you switch to the back up plan, you scale _downward_. Not this." She shook her head. "Still, something like this just screams _Konata_. This is exactly the sort of thing you expect from her."

"I gave her the idea. The original plan involving karaoke was mine, actually." Miyuki said cheerfully. "I can somewhat understand the train of thought for her to instead do a concert. After all, it does involve singing."

"I don't think I'll get to sing but I'm excited anyway." Ayano said. "I heard a lot from Kagami-san that Izumi-san has a very nice singing voice."

Miyuki and Ayano sat down on the other folding chairs, also in the second row.

"Well what are you doing just standing there?" Misao asked suddenly, causing Tsukasa to jump. "Just sit down, Imouto."

Tsukasa nodded and made her way to the seat on the far left, only to have someone else sit there. It was... "Ms. Kuroi?"

The blonde teacher gave a cheerful grin. "Evening. You excited?"

"Er... yes, I am." Tsukasa moved to take the seat on the far right but was again foiled when another person sat. "Um, hello"

"Heya, senpai! I'm Ko Yasaka. You're Izumi-senpai's girlfriend, right? Nice to meet ya" Ko held out a hand which Tsukasa reluctantly shook.

She sighed and took one of the middle seat on the front row.

Konata on the stage holding a mic. "Testing. Testing... Hiyori, turn up the volume a little." Behind them, on the laptop was Hiyori and Patricia fumbling with the laptop and projector. "Testing. Okay, this should be good. Thanks." Konata then turned to face the audience - rather directly to Tsukasa.

"Yo, how's it going." She greeted cheerfully. "As you all know, a series of unfortunate events has caused me to scrap my earlier, much easier plan of simply bringing you all to a karaoke place and having a grand old time there."

"Every single karaoke place had drug addicts for patrons today" Kagami said.

"Hey, no heckling." Konata scolded. "Anyway, because of that, I had to improvise. Thus, here we are today, behind the school having a concert" She said gesturing to her surroundings. Then she looked at Tsukasa. "And said concert is dedicated to my girlfriend, Tsukasa Hiiragi..." She maintained eye contact for a good while before blinking and looking back to the audience in general. "Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Hiyori, do the thing."

The light from the projector turned dark for a few seconds before a spot light of white illuminated just Konata on the stage. Then the music started - an electronic whistle and the light tapping of cymbals followed by an upbeat melody of keyboard and drums.

_~Saw a star and made a little wish but_  
_Gotta wonder how it's gonna get to you_  
_With the wishes everybody's wishing_  
_All on one little star~_

It sounded familiar. She swore she heard it before but she couldn't quite remember. The memory was faint - the only thing she knew for sure was that Konata had been a part of it.

_~Now I'm thinking "Something is wrong with this._  
_All the time I'm wondering where you are."_  
_But you don't seem to understand that_  
_Something's going on~_

Tsukasa couldn't help but feel entranced. Konata looked happier than she had ever seen - and listening to the lyrics made Tsukasa feel happy in turn.

_~So just STOP_  
_Think back, take a look at me_  
_Cuz' you can't erase, escape,_  
_or ever get rid of me!~_

Konata looked at Tsukasa with a bright smile and equally bright eyes. Tsukasa felt surprisingly calm. She almost didn't hear the music, just the sound of Konata's voice. All around them was darkness, and the only light was Konata, singing in a voice that gave the younger Hiiragi twin goose bumps.

_~Harmony for you. Harmony for two_  
_And all my life I'm gonna be dreaming of you you_

_Now I've got to try. Gotta keep my head held high_  
_When I'm looking around and I can't figure out where this is going_

_Gotta prove what I can do_  
_It'll lead me back to you_  
_You're the one til I can see_  
_What it is that I should be~_

Something clicked inside Tsukasa. _This is from Haruhi..._ She realized. _That's why I think of Konata when I hear this song. It's from her favorite show._ She smiled, happy that she finally got one of Konata's anime references.

As the audience applauded, Tsukasa was knocked out of her stupor. Around her were her friends and Konata once again stood on the stage, except that the light shining on her was no longer a spot light but the VLC Media Player logo. It quickly turn back into a spot light. "Sorry," Hiyori called.

"Well, I'm glad you all enjoyed that. Last Wednesday, Tsukasa told me that she loved me." Konata said with a chuckle. "Believe it or not, that the first time she actually said it out loud. I was freakin' terrified when she said that, you know? Like, how do I respond? Should I joke about it? Should I slap her and lean in for a kiss? What am I thinking, why the heck would I slap her, right? I thought of that because I remembered it from my dating sims and visual novels. I'll be honest, not one of the choices I remember choosing would work. So I stalled for a weeks. Now here we are"

Konata smiled and looked at Tsukasa. "Tsukasa, I love you. I know you know that. I know everyone else here knows that. But I had to say it. I had to say it like this: during concert I literally had prepared mere minutes ago. The sheer absurdity of the whole thing is what gave me the courage to say it at all. So while that courage is still with me, I'll say it again. Tsukasa Hiiragi, I love you."

Tsukasa stood. She didn't know what came over her. She just stood and climbed up on stage. She walked to Konata's side and looked at her in as straight a face as her teary eyed emotional state allowed. With both hands, she slapped Konata face, squeezing her cheeks. "Konata Izumi, I love you too" With that, she pulled her into a kiss.

Hiyori, holding a handkerchief against her nose, quickly laid a sheet of cellophane over the projector, turning the spot light pink. The rest of the audience cheered as the two finally said what they wanted to say. More music started playing, and Konata began singing again. Others got to sing as well as Hiyori's playlist seemed to have a least one song that everyone liked. In the end, it was almost as if they DID have karaoke.

**LUCKY STAR**

[LUCKY CHANNEL!]

[Hiya Luckies! I'm Akira Kogami!]

[And I'm Minoru Shiraishi]

[I'm Navigator A]

[And I'm Navigator B. Evening everyone! It's the end of the week once more. To all you students tuning in, I hope you plan on enjoying your weekend. I know _I_ am.]

[Really now, Minoru? Wanna tell us what you plan on doing tomorrow?]

[Well, first I'm gonna do my homework and-]

[ _Seriously? Homework? That's what 'enjoying your weekend' is to you?_ ]

[Hey, I happen to _like_ learning.]

[ _Really? Then maybe you could spend your weekend with ME and LEARN the REAL meaning of 'enjoying your weekend'_ ]

[...Are... Are you asking me out on a date?]

[ _No! Now shut up and answer!_ ]

[I don't know! That was a curve ball and I have no idea how to react! Put down your fists!]

[ _Fine..._ Anyway, since this is the weekend, how bout' we have a good time with this jazzy ED to _Blood Blockade Battlefront_. _Sugar Song And Bitter Step_ by Unison Square Garden. Enjoy!]

[You say my segues are bad but yours are absolutely terrible]

[ _Shut it. You're taking me, aren't you? Don't disrespect your date._ ]

[What? I never agreed to-]

~music start~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Konata sang is _TOMARE!,_ the ED to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2 (2009). The English lyrics are courtesy of Christina Vee, anime voice actress and, at one point, cover artist for anime songs.
> 
> I tended to insert a lot of anachronisms in this story back in 2015. I'm better about it now than I used to be, but that's after five more years of figuring things out.
> 
> This marks the end of this arc. The next one should release in a few days. Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
